A Midsummer's Nightmare
by Ezia523
Summary: Hey! Be sure to check out "The Date Continues" and "I Do?" before reading this third book in my Rockett's World fanfiction.
1. School's Out?

A Midsummer's Nightmare

Hey! Be sure to check out "The Date Continues" and "I Do?" before reading this third book in my Rockett's World fanfiction:)

Chapter 1: School's...Out?

"During the war of 1812, who was fighting against the U.S.?" Ruben Rosales asked.

"Uh-uh-I know this one! Great Britain!" answered Jessie Marbella. "Alright, then. Who was the American nurse who aided the soldiers during The Civil War?"

"Clara Barton!" Rockett Movado shouted out.

"Good job," said Jessie. "Okay, Rockett. It's your turn now."

Ruben, Rockett, and Jessie were all huddled together inside the study hall room, busy quizzing one another for their very last history test of the year. It was hard to believe just how quickly everything had gone by. So much had occurred this year, and so many cool things had happened - like Rockett Movado and Ruben Rosales finally becoming a couple. To Rockett, it was a dream. Even better, since Ruben was just about the world's greatest boyfriend. He was always encouraging, really easy-going and totally nice! Rockett remembered that just a few months ago, right after they'd first gotten together, Ruben had surprised her with a beautiful, full-color page in the school yearbook dedicated to her. She of course thought it to be the one of the sweetest things anyone had ever done for her, especially after she'd spent days feeling jealous after Ruben had gotten paired up with Nicole Whittaker for a class marriage project. But that was the thing about Ruben - he knew how to keep a cool head. If he was jealous, he didn't let it take over him. He dealt with things the right way. That, among many others was one of the main things Rockett liked about him.

"Okay, last question here," Rockett said, suddenly trying to focus on the test questions. "Who bought land from the French in 1803? Hint: Louisiana Purchase."

"Ummmm..." Ruben said, totally confused. He flipped open his text book and scanned the page for the answer.

"Uh...wait!" Jessie said suddenly. "Wasn't it the president, or something?"

Rockett nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes..."

"I thought so," Jessie said. "But which one? What was his name again...?"

"...Thomas..." Rockett hinted.

"Thomas Edison!" Jessie boomed.

Ruben made a noise that sounded like a buzzer going off. "Wrong," he said as he closed his textbook. "The correct answer is 'Thomas Jefferson.'"

"Oh, man!" exclaimed Jessie. "That would have been my next guess."

Rockett laughed. "Okay, well just make sure it's your next guess when you sit down to take the test in History," she said as she closed her textbook. "Speaking of which, who's ready to be totally, one-hundred percent _done_ with school?"

"I know I am," said Max Diamond, who had just come down the hall.

Rockett smiled when she caught him staring at Jessie. Okay, so even though it _had_ been a great year, something totally got overlooked - namely, Jessie and Max. Rockett knew they were into each other, so what exactly was taking them so long? Then again, it had definitely taken her and Ruben quite a while.

"Tell me about it, man. I am so ready to be outta this never-ending detention loop. It's time for some real _divertido_!" Ruben said mischieveously.

Rockett grinned. She didn't exactly know what _'divertido' _meant, but coming from Ruben, it was probably a good thing. "Yeah, I totally can't wait! This is going to be a great summer!" she exclaimed.

"It sure is," Max agreed, still looking at Jessie. "We're going away on a cruise for the first month, and the next month, my parents are going to stay onboard the ship while I head back to my place and throw parties all summer long! Woo hoo!" Max hollered.

"Wow! A cruise? Really, Max? That's so cool! Where are you guys headed?" Jessie asked excitedly.

Max blushed. "Ohh, nowhere. Maybe Hawaii or the Bahamas or something."

"That's amazing," Jessie replied. "I've never been to Hawaii before, but I went to the Bahamas as a kid with my parents once. It was totally beautiful!"

Rockett and Ruben smiled at each other and shared a knowing look.

_'This is so cute_,' Rockett thought. _'Here Ruben and I can't even get a word in with these two! I wonder if they're aware that they're both blushing? Well, Max has to know - Jessie's cheeks are totally red!_ _I wish they'd just admit their feelings already! How hard can it be?'_

"You're so cute when you're deep in thought like that," a voice interrupted. "You get these tiny little frown marks just above your brows-"

"Ruben!" Rockett blushed. "Ohmigosh, stop. That's totally embarrasing!"

"Nah, I think it's cute," he said smiling.

Rockett giggled. "You are such a weirdo."

"I know, but it's why you love me," Ruben said matter-of-factly.

Rockett tried to take her attention off of her boyfriend for just a few seconds to catch the last part of Max and Jessie's convo. It looked like they were nearly finished.

"So I'll see ya later, Jess," Max said. The bell had just went off for their next class.

"Oh, great," Rockett said, now fully aware that they were going to be late for History. She knew they couldn't make it on time - the class was two hallways down on the very end of the row. Of course, it didn't _seem_ far, but ever since the whole 'no running in the hallways' rule got re-issued, getting to class on time was a lot tougher.

"Never fear, _señor_ Rosales is here," Ruben joked as he grabbed his backpack. "I think I got a plan. But we're gonna have to run to make it on time," he said before taking Rockett's hand and sprinting off down the hallway.

"Ruben, don't!" Jessie called as she and Max trailed behind them. "We're gonna get in trouble if we run!"

"We'll get in trouble either way," Ruben hollered over his shoulder. "This way, at least we get some excercise," he said with a wink.

"Yeah!" Rockett added. "And besides Jess, it's the last day in school! What could they possibly do to us?"

"Try after-school detention while all the other kids get to leave this place for good!" Jessie panted.

When they finally arrived at the classroom, Ruben stopped. The door was closed. And their teacher, Mr. Weaseldorf, only closed the door after the last student had been called in - which meant if they walked in now, it'd mean they were totally late.

And totally busted.

"Now what, Rosales?" Max said. "I wanna be sippin' lemonade on a cruise ship by this afternoon, not sitting in after-school detention."

"It's simple!" Ruben said, sounding like he had just thought of a plan. "We do the sneak-in."

Rockett bit her lip. Jessie looked doubtful. And Max? He was already done. He mouthed a quick "see-you-later" to the trio, and than slipped into the classroom.

"Actually," Ruben said, once Max had entered in. "This'll work. We could definitely use a decoy. And Max is a good distraction."

That was for sure. When Max walked into a room, everyone knew about it. Loud and proud, he wasn't exactly in his element unless he was the center of attention.

"Mr. Diamond," they heard the teacher say as Max walked in. "I do believe you are a bit late, wouldn't you say?"

"Ohh, sir, I knew this would happen," Max cried dramatically. "Would you believe it - I got here ten minutes before homeroom, but somebody locked the front entrance, so I waited and waited and waited and - finally! Mrs. Lutzi saw me and let me in! I'm just glad I'm inside now! Been at school all morning though, promise."

The class laughed and cheered at Max's ridiculous story. Still hamming it up, he sighed and bowed deeply. "Thank you for your understanding."

Mr. Weaseldorf was not amused. "I feel so bad that you had to wait it out all day, Max. How about I help you and cut you some slack by letting you take your test from start to finish, no points taken off?"

Max leaned back in his seat, comfortably resting his legs up on his desk. "Gee, that would be great."

"Excellent. I'll give it to you after school in the detention room to work on it. You can leave when - and only when - you are finished."

Max rolled his eyes and sighed. "Well, the jig is up," he said. "Shoulda seen that one coming.

A loud rap on the blackboard broke the tension. The history teacher whirled around. "What was that?" he frowned.

The rap continued on the blackboard until the teacher excused himself, left the room, and walked over to the next classroom to investigate.

"Now!" Ruben whispered as he, Rockett and Jessie dashed into the class, textbooks covering their faces.

The teacher returned, shaking his head and muttering to himself. "I must be hearing things," he said after he'd closed the classroom door. Still confused, Mr. Weaseldorf glanced around the room.

Three innocent faces looked back at him. "Hello," Mr. Weaseldorf said. He greeted each one of them: "Ruben, Rockett, Jessie."


	2. Busted

Chapter 2: Busted

"Well, he wouldn't have know if Nic wouldn't have said anything," Ruben grumbled as he kicked a nearby locker.

Rockett felt annoyed. Not only had they come so incredibly close to actually getting out of the whole history scenario, but now they were all forced to attend after-school detention.

She also felt really bad for Jessie, who was actually trying to stop them. She hadn't done anything wrong, really.

"Jess, I'm really sorry." Rockett couldn't help apologizing.

"Yeah, we shouldn't have kept going," Ruben agreed. "Look where it landed us."

Jessie shrugged, and as always, tried to find the good in the situation. "Hey, at least it's on the last day."

"And we won't be going alone," Ruben added. "Since Diamond's big drama performance, he'll be attending too."

Rockett perked up. Max would be in detention with them? How did she not remember that? This, she realized, would be the perfect opportunity to get Max and Jessie together. She just needed a plan.

"Anyway, I gotta run to my locker to swap out some books before my next class," Jessie said.

Rockett glanced at her watch. "But, Jess, our next class isn't for another like, ten minutes."

"I know. But I definitely need to take extra precautions this time - who knows how long I'll be here after school if I'm late again."

Rockett winced. She still felt totally bad for her friend, who - once again - had nothing to do with this whole mess.

As if she'd read her mind, Jessie said, "Don't worry, Rockett. I'm the one who was running late. At least with Ruben helping out we actually made it inside. We could have been in a lot more trouble. Anyway, I'll see you guys! I gotta run!"

"Bye, Jessie!" Rockett and Ruben waved.

"So, Ruben," Rockett said slyly. "Got any great plans on how to sneak out of Mr. Baldus' evil detention chamber?"

Ruben laughed. "Sorry, _chica_, but I'm all out of ideas."

"Ohh, really?" Rockett mused.

"Yeah..." Ruben said slowly. "Why? How come?" He paused when he noticed that Rockett was up to something. "What are you thinking?"

'_Time to let the cat out of the bag,' _Rockett thought.

"Okay, I was thinking...Max and Jessie. In detention. Sitting right next to each other. It's_ soooo _obvious. What do you think?"

"I'm thinking, they could very well be some _muy bueno _competition for us when we compete for yearbook's cutest couple," Ruben replied. "So, let's just leave them be."

"C'mon, Ruben. We have to figure out a way to get the two of them together," Rockett wailed.

"I'm listening, _chica_, but how?"

Rockett thought for a sec. "Hey, what about secret admirer notes? It worked last time. Maybe we could send Jessie notes from Max and leave them in her locker."

Ruben shook his head. "Nuh-uh. No can do, Rockett. It's one thing to set them up, but it's quite another to fool them."

"Please, Ruben!" Rockett begged. "You know Max pretty well, and I bet you could really make it look like his handwriting - just so I have something while I'm working on another plan."

Ruben paused and pursed his lips. "Alright, I'll do it. But I don't see why Max can't just come out and tell her how he feels."

"Yeah, you're right. Well, I guess we can forget about the note thing for now...but there's got to be another way..." Rockett thought aloud. "Anyway, thanks, Ruben." Reaching up on her toes, Rockett turned to give Ruben a kiss on his cheek.

Ruben turned just as Rockett was leaning in, and kissed her lips instead.

"Mr. and Mrs. _Rosaaaales_," Mr. Baldus sang as he past by the couple in the hall.

Ruben and Rockett whirled around.

"I know we both agree that young love is _funkay_, but no lip-smackin' in the halls, ya hear, folks?" Mr. B said in his best warning tone.

Rockett blushed. "S-sorry, Mr. Baldus." To Ruben she said, "Gotta get to class!"

Ruben nodded. "Same here. So, I'll see you after class? Maybe afterwards...we can hit the juice bar or something...and then maybe head to my place and I'll show you that new song I've been workin' on."

"Sounds great!" Rockett said excitedly. Then she remembered something. "Except we have detention. But, yeah, we'll figure something out. See you later, Ruben"

"_Hasta la vista_, baby," Ruben said with a wink as Rockett slipped into the classroom.


	3. Do The Time

Chapter 3: Do The Time/Bad News

The bell rang for the final period. Students bolted out of their classrooms, cheering, singing, screaming - everyone was psyched to be out. Everyone except Rockett, Ruben, Max and Jessie, who would first have to attend a one-hour detention crash-course.

"This should be fun," Rockett said in her best half-glum, half-sarcastic tone.

"Yeah, no kidding," Ruben replied. "I guess I'd better send my bandmates a message and let them know I'm gonna be starting practice a little late today."

"You two are pathetic," a voice cut in. "It's just detention, it's not _that_ big of a deal."

Dana St. Clair.

Rockett turned around. "Oh, hi, Dana. Aren't you supposed to be leaving for vacation?" she asked.

"I wish. But no, unfortunately, I'm stuck in detention. With you," Dana replied icily.

"What'd you do this time, St. Clair?" asked Ruben.

Dana scoffed. "Please, like that's any of _your_ business. Anyway, I just came by to declare a truce...a kind of deal."

Rockett was shocked. Dana St. Clair wanted to make _PEACE_ with her? "Shoot," Rockett said.

"While we're in detention...don't giggle, laugh, joke, make creepy googly-eyes at each other, pass notes about me _OR_ talk to me. Okay? And in return, I won't bother you."

'Shoulda seen _that_ one coming.'

Rockett narrowed her eyes at Dana. She may have been able to control her temper before, but now, she couldn't hold it in much longer. Still glaring, Rockett took a step toward Dana, opened her mouth, and-

"Look, Dana," Ruben said. "We're all going to be stuck together in the same place for one hour - can't we at least try to get along?"

Dana tapped her foot impatiently and rolled her eyes. "It's bad enough I'm stuck in there, but with you two? Gag me," she said before walking off.

"Thanks for stepping in, Ruben. I was about ready to lose it," Rockett said as soon as Dana was out of earshot.

"_De nada, chica_," Ruben replied. "Now, let's get this over with," he said before the two marched on into the detention room.

Rockett and Ruben entered detention. The room was nearly empty, which was no surprise. People knew better than to get themselves in trouble on the last day. Well, some people, anyway.

Besides the four of them, the only other two in the room were Dana and Bo Pezanski - who were detention regulars.

Mr. Baldus stood at the front of the room, making sure that everyone stayed quiet. Rockett was completely surprised that he had been in charge over the detention room - he was easily one of the loudest teachers at Whistling Pines!

"Okay, kiddos," Mr B announced. "We've got approximately thirty-six hundred seconds 'til summer break. Think your groovy, little selves can stay hush-hush for that long?"

Rockett winced when she spotted Jessie sitting next to Dana.

_'Oh, great. First we land her in detention and now this?'_

Unfortunately, Rockett knew that Jessie wouldn't be allowed to move seats for the whole next hour or so. Rockett scribbled a note to Jessie, trying to apologize again, but Dana saw it first. "Mr. Baldus," Dana called out. "Rockett's passing notes."

"Rocky, I thought we both agreed we'd stay quiet in here? Paper's for homework, only," Mr. Baldus said.

"But, we don't have any homework. School's out," Rockett protested.

"Well, not yet for you kids, ha!" Mr B chuckled.

Rockett frowned.

"Okay, okay, just _kiiiidding_!" the teacher said when he caught the look on Rockett's face. "Gosh!"

Rockett sighed and shook her head. "So much for trying to make it up to Jessie," she whispered.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Ruben soothed. "Her and Dana seem to be getting along just fine. You know, as long as they don't talk or anything."

Rockett smiled, but still felt a little down.

Ruben tried again. "Hey, so we should still go hit the juice bar after detention. Whaddya say? Strawberry blast? For two? On me?"

Rockett brightened but just as quickly she realized something. "I'd love to, Ruben, but I totally just remembered that I have to get home to pack for summer camp. Jessie's coming with us this year, too! I'm so excited!"

"Oh, uh, she is, huh? Sounds cool," Ruben whispered, looking down.

"Really cool," Rockett whispered back. "So, you think you can bring your guitar this year? Play us some totally choice tunes around the campfire?"

"Uh, no. Not this year," Ruben said.

"What?" Rockett asked. No way had she heard him right. Ruben always had his guitar.

"I don't think I'll be bringing it this year."

"Oh, yeah," Rockett said, getting it. "I guess that's a good idea, since everyone's going to be pranking each other, you probably don't wanna get it like, messed up or anything."

"Actually-"

"But, hey, it'll still be totally fun. You think we'll have that talent contest again?"

"Rockett, I-"

"I wonder how bad Nicole and Steph will get pranked this year...? Sharla's definitely gonna get in on it."

"Rockett, I'm not-"

"You two," Mr. Baldus called them out. "Mr. and Mrs. Rosales, separate."

Rockett groaned. At least they were already halfway through.

"Rockett," Ruben whispered before he stood to move to the next desk over. "I'm not going to summer camp this year."

Rockett felt her heart drop._ WHAT_? Seven weeks _without_ Ruben? There was no way! How was she supposed to survive camp without his quick-wit and heart-stopping charm to keep her on her toes?

"What?" she asked quietly.

"I can't make it this year. I-"

"_Señor_ Rosales, scootchity-scootch over," Mr. B chirped.

Ruben sighed and moved to another seat in the front of the room.

Rockett turned and faced the clock. If she had to sit there and count down 'til she was out, she would.

As far as she was concerned, she was already having a lousy summer.


	4. Plan B

Chapter 4: Plan B

"Ruben, I don't get it," Rockett said after detention had let out. "Are you like, going on vaca or something instead?"

"No, it's not that," Ruben said. "We usually take a family vacation right after camp is over so we can all go together."

"Well, then is it the ride sitch? We can totally give you a ride there," Rockett offered.

"No, it's not the ride sitch, it's the money sitch. We're kinda tight on funds this year. We might not even get to take that family vacation."

Rockett felt terrible. She figured she'd at least be able to fix the situation, but not if it was because Ruben's parents couldn't afford to have him go. It wasn't like she could just hand him all of the money - summer camps were expensive, and she knew she didn't exactly have that kind of dough just lying around the house to give to him.

"It's no big deal," Ruben continued. "It's just my sister has to take this summer program to help out with college, and the money that would normally go to camp is going to her."

Before Rockett could blurt out how totally unfair that was, another idea popped into her head.

"That's okay, Ruben," she said, patting his shoulder. "We'll figure something out, I'm sure." With that, she turned to go.

"Wait, Rockett, where are you going?" Ruben asked. "I thought we were gonna go hang out, unless you still have to go home and pack?"

"Um, yeah! I do! But, listen, I'll catch up with you in a minute, I just have to ummm...go get my journal! I think I might have left it in my locker or something," Rockett said, darting off.

'_Not entirely true, but hey, a girl's gotta get by,'_ she thought to herself as she zoomed down the hall.

Rockett immediately found Jessie, and begin to fill her in.

"Jess! I need your help! Ruben might not be able to go to camp with us this year!"

"Oh my gosh!" Jessie exclaimed. "Are you serious?"

"Totally. His fam's using the money to help fund his sister's college program or something, like over the summer. Anyway, I thought of a way we might help. You know how the teachers are always encouraging us to do those petition things?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, I was thinking, maybe, we could do the same for Ruben, like, get people to help support him or whatever."

"That's a great plan, Rockett, but where are you gonna find people to sign that petition? Nearly everyone's long gone for summer break."

"Then I'd better work fast," Rockett said, running off again. Two seconds later, she returned, remembering she had to ask Jessie. "Jess, would you mind?"

"Sure," Jessie replied. "Here, I'll donate some money," she said, reaching into her purse.

"That's great!" Rockett exclaimed. "Okay, now if we can just find about twenty-five kids or so, and each of them donate ten dollars, then maybe we can pull this thing off."

"Whoa, ten dollars?" Jessie asked. "No offense or anything Rockett, but ten dollars is a lot to donate - especially since kids would have to use their own allowance and stuff. And just to see Ruben go to summer camp? I don't think so. Even I'm his friend, and I'm only donating a dollar," she said, still rumaging through her bag. "Whoops. Make that a quarter. Looks like I'm running low on allowance too."

Rockett looked hopelessly at the money Jessie held out. But she couldn't give up yet. There had to at least be some kids around here still.

After she'd said goodbye to Jessie, Rockett turned the corner and found Dana. She'd definitely have to swallow her pride for this one. Rockett took a deep breath and carefully approached her.

"Uh, hi, Dana. What's up?" Rockett smiled in a way that she hoped looked friendly enough.

Dana remained ice. "What do _you_ want, Rockett? Didn't you get enough of me in detention?"

"Well, I...er, um, wanted to um, ask you something."

"Spit it out, already."

"I was just wondering...if you'd be interested in donating some money to a kid who won't be able to attend camp this year-"

"Ugh! Is this about Ruben?"

"No," Rockett said. Then she caught herself. "I mean, yes, but-"

Dana groaned again. "Please. Why would I care if Ruben gets to go or not? You know, my family can't exactly afford to have me go this year either."

Rockett actually felt kind of bad for Dana. True, the girl was a total pain, but still, it wasn't fair. It seemed like so many kids wouldn't be able to make it this year all because of the cash.

"Wow, that's really bad, Dana, I mean-I'm really sorry."

"Don't be," Dana sniffed. "It's not like I even want to be there, anyway.

"Really?" Rockett found herself asking.

To her surprise, Dana actually seemed like she _wanted_ to go. "Well, what difference does it make? I won't get to go. Nakili and Miko are going though, so you should be happy. Maybe you'll finally get them to replace me, like you've been trying to do all this time."

Now Rockett understood. Dana felt completely, one-hundred percent left out.

_'Wow, poor Dana! This is so not like her to be this defeated. I can't believe I'm even thinking this, but...it looks like Ruben's not the only one I'll be trying to get to camp...wait, backup. Did I just say, 'poor Dana?'_

"Well, what if I told you I could try to help you out or something?" Rockett blurted before she could change her mind.

_'Am I crazy?'_

"What do you mean?" asked Dana.

"Exactly what I said," Rockett responded. "I'm going to try to get you to summer camp this year. I mean, I don't exactly know how yet, but trust me on this: I'll definitely try."

Despite her efforts, Dana's eyes still searched her. "Why, so I can owe you big-time? So Miko and Nakili and everyone else can think of you as some sort of hero? Think again."

_'Ugh, good grief! Why do I even bother with Dana? Okay, never mind. If she's going to act this way, I'm going to counter it with my own reaction...which is helping her get to camp.'_

"No," Rockett said, trying to be patient. "They won't even have to know. We'll work something out - secretly - I mean."

Dana slowly begin to soften. "Wow, Rockett. Are you for serious? I mean...would you really do that for me?"

_'Alright, the rock is - slowly - cracking!' _

"Sure, Dana. Why not? Everybody deserves a good summer."

Rockett wondered if it might be her imagination, but she was pretty sure she saw Dana smile, just a bit. Rockett grinned. "Okay, well then I'll just add you to my list. Later, Dana!"

"Three dollars and forty-four cents."

"What?" Jessie shouted.

"Three dollars and forty-four cents," Rockett repeated. "That's all the money we made for Ruben's camp petition." It was late afternoon, almost dinner time. Rockett had backed out of hanging with Ruben so she could work on the petition to help get him to camp. Things hadn't gone as well as she'd hoped. Now, she and Jessie were in Rockett's room, going over the funds.

"Well, that's how much we donated, right? How much did the students donate?" Jessie asked.

Rockett winced. "Um, well, I donated the last of my money, which was three dollars. You donated a quarter, and the students..."

"...Donated the remaining nineteen cents?" Jessie guessed.

"Yeah," Rockett sighed. "I would have donated more, but I forgot to clean my room last week, which means no allowance, and my remaining money I um...I gave to Dana."

"What?" Jessie exclaimed. "You mean Dana St. Clair?"

"Well..." Rockett hedged. "I mean, she couldn't afford to go either. I don't know, I guess I felt kinda bad for her."

"Rockett! Wow! That was really, really nice of you."

"Thanks, Jess. But anyway, back to the other problem: how are we going to get Ruben to camp now?" Rockett asked.

"Well, the petition didn't work," Jessie pointed out. "And there's not a lot of time left to raise the money."

"Man, if only we'd have known sooner! I can't believe this," Rockett sighed. "Ruben's going to miss everything, and it's going to be so completely different without him! No more prank-pulling, no more hanging out in the mess hall, no more making up those goofy songs about Nicole and her morning breath..."

Jessie laughed. "Did he really do all that?"

"Yes. And it was _sooo_ funny! I'd seriously rather just miss camp all together at this point. It's going to stink, anyway."

"C'mon, Rockett. It won't stink. I mean, yeah, it'll be a little different without Ruben there, but still. You can't just back out because of it."

"I hate to admit it, Jess, but you're probably right...it's just, we were going to hang out a lot this summer, and now it's like I won't see him probably until school starts up again."

"Weren't you supposed to meet him after school - detention, I mean - today?" Jessie asked.

Rockett sighed. "Yeah, but I took a rain check so I could work on starting his petition."

"I think I see where you're coming from," Jessie mused. "Well, alright. I understand now if you don't wanna go, but...you know it won't be the same without you there either, right?"


	5. All Aboard

Chapter 5: All Aboard

"Rockett! Five-minute warning!" Mrs. Movado hollered up the staircase. "The bus will be here soon!"

Rockett sighed heavily as she tossed a lip balm into her makeup bag and zipped the bag into her suitcase. So much for her plan.

What she had _planned_ to do was to ask-slash-beg her parents to let her please stay home from camp. Which she did. But unfortunately, as her mother had told her, they had already paid - and this year, Camp Luna was non-refundable. So now Rockett was 'forced' (as she'd told Meg earlier) to go to camp.

Rockett finished stuffing her things into her suitcase, made her way to the bathroom, and stared helplessly into the mirror as she ran a brush through her red locks.

Just as Rockett walked back into her bedroom to double-check all of her camping gear, the doorbell rang.

A second later, her mother yelled up the stairs again. "Rockett, you have company!"

Company? At seven fifty-five in the morning? Just before camp? She'd already said 'bye' to Ruben four times in person, seven times on the phone. Was he back? Something was definitely up. Rockett raced down the stairs.

Rockett was shocked."Dana? What are you doing here? I mean, what's up?"

Sure enough, Dana St. Clair was standing in her entryway.

"Hey," Dana said quietly. "My parents-well, they found out you tried to start that whole petition just so I could go to camp with you guys..."

Rockett nodded, still perplexed. "Go on..."

"And, well, um...you see, they thought - I guess, that if it meant that much to one of my friends to be there, that I should go. So, they're going to let me go this year, thanks to you."

"Wow! That's really great, Dana! But um, how exactly..."

"Are they paying? I don't know. I've always wanted to go, but I guess I wasn't totally obvious about it, so they never really thought I'd wanted to. But, in a way, you helped them see that."

_'In a way? I'm the reason she's even going on this trip! Oh well, at least one of my ideas worked...sort of.'_

"Anyway," Dana continued. "I just wanted to say 'thanks', Rockett. For helping out and everything. That was really...cool of you."

Rockett grinned. "Hey, don't mention it."

"I won't," Dana smirked. At first it stung a bit, but then Rockett realized Dana was only kidding. Deep down, she knew Dana was really grateful. And that helped make everything worthwhile.

"By the way, here's your cash back that you used to try and get me to camp. Believe it or not, I'd feel kinda guilty keeping it," Dana said, handing Rockett her money.

"Thanks. Well, the bus is almost here, I gotta run up and get my stuff. Do you want something to drink or-"

"Nah, too early," Dana replied. "I'll just come with you."

"Okay," Rockett smiled, leading Dana up the staircase.

Halfway up, Dana murmered, "Thanks, Rockett."

Up in Rockett's room, Rockett looked around for her pocket computer. If she forgot everything else on this trip, she at least wanted to have her portable device. How would she ever survive in the woods all summer without her journal or email?

It probably would have been easier to find it if she hadn't been watching Dana the whole time. Even though Dana had sounded completely sincere downstairs, you never knew with her. She very well could have just made everything up so she could come by and spy on Rockett's personal life.

Rockett pushed the thought out of her head. No way! Dana _was_ being sincere, and Rockett was just going to have to relax and learn to trust her.

Suddenly, Rockett spotted Dana fiddling around with her pocket computer.

"You have two new messages," Dana said, without looking up from Rockett's device. "One from Meg...? Ooo-ooh! And one from Ruben!"

Rockett's eyes widened. "Hey! Give that back! It's personal."

Dana immediately set Rockett's pocket computer back on her desk. "Chill, I was just checking it out. Didn't mean to set you off."

Rockett softened. Whew. So Dana wasn't spying. Still, she knew she'd definitely have to keep an eye on the girl.

"Uh, no worries," Rockett hedged. "I just need it to check my email. So, what about you? You all packed?"

"Yeah," Dana said. "The bus already stopped by my house. So all my stuff's already in it."

"That's good," Rockett replied. "Then you won't forget anything..."

Dana rolled her eyes. "Oh, go ahead. I know you're dying to check that email from Ruben."

Rockett blinked. Wow, she definitely didn't expect Dana to know her _that_ well. How'd she know she couldn't wait to check that thing?

"No, I'm fine," Rockett smiled.

There was no way she was going to read any of her personal messages in front of Dana.

_Beep-beep!_

Two, short honks notified the girls that it was time to go. "Alright, let's hit it," Rockett said, as she grabbed her suitcase.

"Bye, mom!" Rockett said as she gave her mother a quick hug.

"Rockett!" her mother exclaimed. "Wow! See, you're already rushing out! I knew you'd be excited to go!"

"It's not that. The sooner I leave, the sooner I'll be back!" Rockett explained. "By the way, tell Dad I said 'hey!' And that I'll miss him."

"Awwww," Dana cooed.

"Bye, girls!" Mrs. Movado waved. "Have a wonderful summer!"

_'We'll see...' _Rockett thought_._

After Rockett hoisted her luggage up into the back, she and Dana boarded the bus.

Finally, she couldn't wait any longer. As soon as Dana spotted Miko and Nakili, Rockett whipped out her pocket computer.

**Hey, Rockett, **

**Don't be blue, Red. Camp is gonna **_**rock**_**! I promise you you'll have a **_**muy bueno **_**time, **_**chica**_**. And hey, don't feel too bad for me. I'm gonna be busy jammin' out with Rebel Angels and crew and writing you some mad songs while you're gone. Keep checkin' back for my messages - I might just send you some of the mock-up lyrics. It's gonna be pretty tight. While you're away, don't forget to leave behind the prank legacy (FYI, Nic hates spiders, so buy some extra-grande fake ones while you're at it, and Steph is basically allergic to water - have some fun with that;)**

**Anyway, I hope you have a most **_**fantastico**_** day, and an even better summer.**

**Miss you already!**

**-Ruben**

Rockett sighed as she glanced at the empty seat across from her row. That was where Ruben sat last year...and it was where he was supposed to be sitting this year. How was she going to last all summer? She already missed the guy like crazy, and they hadn't even been on the bus for five minutes!

Rockett looked back down at her PC to type out her reply.

"Hey, Rockett!" a friendly voice called.

Rockett immediately glanced up. "Oh, hi, Jessie! What's going on?"

Jessie smiled and took the seat next to her. "Nothing much. Just super-excited for camp! I wonder what our cabin's going to look like..."

"If it's anything like last year, then it'll be really cool!" Rockett replied. "I'm way psyched you get to be here this time, Jess."

"Yeah, me too," Jessie said. "But, I'm really sorry about Ruben and all, like about him not coming and stuff. I know you were really looking forward to it, but I still think we can have some fun here."

Rockett tried not to look too bummed. "Yeah, it's cool. We'll have a blast! I mean, I SO wanted him to go, but I'll get to see him before school," she reasoned.

'_I hope...'_

Jessie nodded. "It's not so bad. Actually a lot of kids couldn't make it this year - Darnetta, Mavis, Max-"

"Hey, hey, summer peeps! How's life on the bus of boredom?"

Rockett and Jessie turned around to see where the voice had come from. "_Max?"_

"The one and only," Max Diamond said smoothly as he approached Rockett and Jessie. "Hello, ladies!"

"Hi," the girls replied.

Rockett was the first to ask. "Max, what are you doing here? I thought you had that big cruise to go on?"

Max snorted. "Bad mess right there. Prob is, after I got that oh-so wonderful after-school detention, my parents freaked out, and cancelled my trip. Now I'm stuck here with you guys. Which isn't so bad," Max added, stealing a glance at Jessie.

_'Ha-ha! I knew it! Max is soooo into Jessie. What could be more obvious? Now, time to dig a little deeper and see just how far Max went for this camp fiasco...'_

"But, how did you get in on such short notice? The camp's really strict about that kind of stuff," Rockett said slyly.

Max shrugged. "My dad knows a guy."

'_More like your dad PAID a guy.'_

"Anyway," Max continued. "I'm here now, and that's the way it's going down. So girls, tell me a little bit 'bout this camp." He said 'girls,_'_ but he was clearly asking Jessie.

"Oh! I don't know - I wasn't here last year, but Rockett was," Jessie said.

"It's pretty fun," Rockett supplied. "I mean the cafe food's not so bad, we do s'mores the second night, have a bonfire, tell ghost stories, go hiking-"

"Hiking, huh?" Max inquired. "So, I could hike all the way up a mountain, like...by myself?"

"No, we use the buddy system," Rockett responded. "Always."

"Interesting..."

Rockett tried to hide her smile. She knew exactly what Max was thinking, so now it was all a matter of bringing it out. "Yeah, but the problem is, Jessie is the only one without a hiking buddy this year, and we always choose in advance.

"I thought I was hiking with you?" Jessie asked.

"No, not this year. I'm already with...uhhhh, Dana!" Rockett said quickly.

_'DANA?'_

"'Scuse me, Rockett?" Dana asked, as she strutted over to the group. "We're...hiking buddies?"

"Yeah!" Rockett said, swinging her arm around Dana as if they had been long-time friends. "It's gonna be so great! Jess, you need to find yourself a hiking buddy!" Then, as if it wasn't already obvious enough, Rockett added, "You too, Max."

Jessie cocked an eyebrow. Dana rolled her eyes. And a blushing Max said, "Well, Jessie, I guess if you don't have a partner..."

"That's okay," Jessie quickly interrupted. "I think I'll be hiking with Sharla."

Rockett's eyes widened. Sharla? As in Sharla Rae Norvell? Was Jessie completely out of her mind?

"What? Sharla?" Rockett gasped.

Upon hearing her name, Sharla herself stood up from her seat on the bus and walked over to the group. Her eyes narrowed into little slits, she asked, "You got something to say to me, Movado?"

"Actually, _I _do," Jessie cut in. "I was wondering if maybe you'd like to be my hiking buddy when we get to the camp?"

Sharla raised her eyebrows. "Really? You want me to be your hike buddy?"

Rockett tried to butt in so she could stop Jessie from making a humongo mistake that would take away time she _could_ be spending with Max.

"Uh, Jessie, what about-"

"Stay out of this, Rockett," Sharla said rudely. "Jessie's talking to _me_."

Jessie glanced over at Rockett, to make sure Sharla's nasty 'tude hadn't brought her down. When she realized her friend was okay, she continued.

"Yeah, I think it could be a lot of fun," Jessie smiled. "I mean, let's face it, we haven't really gotten to hang out all that much in school, so we might as well this summer."

Sharla softened. "Okay. I can deal. Hike buddies for the rest of camp. I'll see ya later, Marbella," Sharla said as she flounced off.

When Jessie turned back around, Rockett's mouth was agape. "Jessie!" she whispered under her breath. By now, Max was off in another section of the bus, talking wih Chaz. "What were you thinking wanting Sharla Norvell as a partner? I thought you wanted-"

"Max?" Jessie guessed. "Well, not exactly. I mean, he used to be really cool and kind of cute and everything, but lately he just seems a little...I don't know - different, and-"

"Duh, Jessie," Rockett teased. "Of course he's acting different. He likes you."

"Well, I heard other things..."

"Like what?"

"That he's got a girlfriend."

"What?" Rockett blinked. She was completely shocked. Yeah, Max could be immature and all, but would he really date somebody else - who _wasn't_ Jessie?

Rockett was more bummed than shocked, actually, to say the least. She had always wanted Max to be with Jessie, _not_ some other girl.

"It's not a big deal," Jessie replied. Rockett didn't buy it for one minute.

"Of course it's a big deal, Jess. You know he's totally crushing on you."

Jessie shook her head. "I don't think so, Rockett. But, it's okay. I'm just glad you and Ruben worked out."

Rockett let out a frustrated sigh. As of right now, things were totally bogus. Ruben wasn't here, and now Jessie was (obviously) totally bummed about Max. It was a lose/lose situation, and now Rockett just couldn't wait to go home.


	6. Welcome Back To Camp Luna

Chapter 6: Welcome Back To Camp Luna

"Welcome to the woods, campers!" a friendly counselor chirped when the kids arrived at camp.

Rockett had stepped off of the bus feeling a bit drowsy. Napping on buses was quite difficult, especially when there were twenty kids or so screaming and laughing the entire way.

"We are going to have a _blast_ this summer!" the counselor declared. "So, without further ado, let's make some introductions! I'm Melody, your main go-to-girl. If you need anything througout camp, just say the word..."

'_How about a ride home?'_ Rockett thought glumly.

"...Or if you just want a totally-fun counselor to hang around with, you just let me know. That's cool too."

_'Peppy much?'_

"I'm ready to meet all of you in the mess hall for our first activity. So, come on down, scouts! This is going to be _SO_ awesome!"

'_I really doubt it.'_

Jessie caught the look on Rockett's face. "C'mon, Rockett. You heard Melody - this is going to be a blast."

Rockett snapped to. She knew that this was Jessie's first time at the camp, and she definitely didn't want to ruin it for her. It was time for her glum child to take a time-out...at least until summer was over.

"You bet it will, Jessie," Rockett replied, pasting on a huge, fake grin. Unbelievably, Jessie bought it, much to Rockett's surprise.

'_Okay...I guess this might work. Faking a good ol' time at camp for the rest of the summer might be a trying process. But, hey, maybe I can trick myself into having a good time,'_ Rockett thought.

"In fact, I'll be right back," she said to Jessie. "Can't forget about my suitcase."

Rockett hurried back to the bus. The busier she kept herself, the less she'd think about camp. The less she thought about camp, the less she'd think about the fact that Ruben wasn't coming. The less she thought about Ruben, the less she'd miss him.

"Oooof!"

Rockett checked her head for blood. Luckily, there was none. She was totally fine. Well, except for the fact that she'd just run face-first into the back of the bus. At the last second, a suitcase fell out, barely missing her.

"Whoa, an accident already? We haven't even gone canoeing yet," teased a friendly voice.

Before Rockett could respond, a hand reached out and pulled her up from the hard ground.

_"Ruben?" _

She blinked, taking in to account the person who had just reached out to help her. He was tall and tan, and on his lips her wore a big, friendly grin. His large, green eyes stared warmly at her.

"No...Davis," her hero replied.

"Oh," Rockett stammered. "Sorry, I guess I kind of blacked-out there for a minute. I was just coming over here to get my suitcase."

The boy walked over toward the back of the bus and hoisted out a medium purple suitcase, decorated with sparkling stars and crescent moons. "This yours?" he asked.

"Yeah," Rockett replied, stepping forward. "How did you know?"

The boy smiled and shrugged. "It was a lucky guess, I guess..." he said as he handed her the suitcase.

Rockett didn't buy it. "I don't believe you," she admitted.

The boy broke out into an even huger grin. "Okay. You want to know the secret? I can always spy out another artist. Always."

Rockett blushed. She knew she was an artist, but hearing it from a totally random stranger was a big deal.

"Thanks," she replied. "So what kind of art are you into? Music, cooking, painting?"

Davis just grinned. "Tell me your name first."

"My name? Rockett."

"Rockett. Nice name. Even your parents are artsy, huh?"

"Very," Rockett replied. "My mom is actually a collage artist."

"That's sick!" Davis exclaimed. "My brother's going to start studying that as soon as the school year starts back up again. It's gonna be his new thing. Completely amazing, if you ask me."

"Yeah, I totally agree. It's a majorly choice hobby!" Rockett said excitedly. She couldn't contain herself. Art was her passion. "In fact, I may even help my mom design some collages when I get back from camp."

Davis nodded. "Takin' a couple pictures here?"

"Of course," Rockett grinned. "I mean, I never go anywhere without my camera."

"You just never know when some cool moment is gonna happen, and you have to take an instant still," Davis continued.

"Exactly!" Rockett exclaimed.

The bell rang for a second, and then the speakers kicked in. "Howdy-ho, campers! It is now time to meet up in the mess hall! Please join us for an introduction to the greatest camp on earth, as well as your activity list! We'll start the first activity once everyone arrives, so don't be late!"

"Wow, they're calling us in, already? Rockett asked. _'That was fast!' _she thought to herself. _'How long have I been out here talking to Davis? I wonder if everyone else is already inside...'_

"Yeah, I guess we can finish unloading everything later - I just hope no creepy counselors touch any of my stuff," Davis laughed.

Rockett laughed too. "Yeah! No kidding. Well, I've gotta get to the mess hall, but it was nice meeting you, Davis. And, hey, thanks again for helping me out, like with my suitcase and stuff."

Davis smiled. "No problem at all, Rockett. So I'll see you later?"

"Sure," Rockett replied as she scooped up her luggage. "Later!"

Back in the mess hall, Rockett found her friends sitting at a table near the front.

"Hey, Jess," Rockett said as she took the seat next to her.

"Hi, Rockett. You look better - getting into the camp vibe?" Jessie asked.

Rockett laughed. "Maybe just a bit. But, I met this cool artist guy over by the bus. I think he's new."

"Wow, that's pretty neat," Jessie replied. "Maybe you can introduce me later, but let's see what the first activity is."

Rockett nodded as the two girls quieted down.

"Welcome to Camp Luna!" Melody exclaimed. "Now before you make a run for your cabins, I'd like to announce our first activity: horseback riding! So when you're ready, come on up and see me to find out which cabin you'll be staying in. Once everyone's situated, we'll meet at the stables."

Rockett wrinkled her nose. Horseback riding? She certainly didn't remember signing up for _THAT_ activity last year. But on the other hand, she was going to stay positive and roll with the punches...and the horses. She'd be up for anything.

"Mystic maiden!" a familiar voice called.

Well, almost anything.

Rockett turned around. "Oh, uh, hey Arnold. What's up? You excited for horseback riding?"

Arnold snorted. "Not exactly thrilled about riding around on some stingy, repulsive animal. But I am excited for tonight. The boys who pranked me last year won't know what hit them," he said mischieviously.

_Pranks? _Rockett suddenly remembered Ruben, and how he wanted her to continue his pranking streak.

"Oh! Pranks! Sounds fun, Arnold. Maybe I'll be helping you out. But, I gotta run and check email before we leave. See ya!"

"Wow, Rockett!" Jessie marveled when the girls arrived at their cabin. "This is way cool!"

"It is, isn't it, Jess?" Rockett said as the girls unpacked their belongings. "It's even bigger than last year's cabin."

"And much nicer if I do say so myself," Nicole Whittaker added. "Now there's a whole entire shower left for _moí_. Stephanie, do me a favour and let me have the bed as far away from the window as possible. I don't want any nasty losers trying to bother me again this year."

Rockett tried to hide her amusement. She remembered last year when Ruben and the others snuck some spiders into Nicole's bed. It seemed like a difficult job to pull off, but lucky for them, Nicole not only slept right next to the window, but she also slept like a dead person. And she snored. Loud.

_'If Nicole's sleeping in the back, than I'm sleeping in the front,' _Rockett decided. _'No way is she going to keep ME up again with that snoring. Talk about scary.'_

Rockett finished unpacking and checked her pc for new messages.

There was one from Meg, and one from Ruben since she'd last replied.

To: Rockett Movado

From: Meg Durrand

Subject:_ "Hey!"_

**Hey, best friend!**

**So, how's camp so far? Enjoying the great outdoors? Email me back with all the details. I gotta stay up-to-date! And let me know if you're still planning on pulling off all of those great pranks you mentioned earlier.**

**Rock on!**

**-Meg**

Rockett hit 'reply' to respond to Meg's message.

**Hey, Meggie Muffin!**

**Camp isn't...terrible so far. Well, okay, I'll admit. It's actually going pretty great. They've just added horseback riding to the new activity list. At first, I was a bit worried, but I'm sure it should be fine (I'm trying to distract myself by trying out all these new and different things). And our cabin this year is really awesome - it's totally huge and everything. But let me tell you the best part: I met this totally cool artist when I was unloading my stuff for camp. His name's Davis. I'll tell you more about camp later. We're about to go to our first activity, and I wanna check my remaining message. Wish me luck at the stables!**

**-Rockett**

Rockett hit 'send' and quickly checked her email from Ruben.

**Hey, **_**chica**_**! Check it out:**

_**'When new girl hits camp,**_

_**Everything goes loco**_

_**Mischief left and right**_

_**Slippin' bugs in Nic's cocoa**_

_**Steph falls in the river**_

_**And begins to shiver**_

_**Outta sight!**_

_**There's mischief left and right**_

_**Mischief left and right...'**_

_**Muchos gracias**_**, Rockett!**

**Stay tuned for more **_**letras**_** later on! Until then,**

**-Ruben**

**PS, I miss you :)**

Rockett smiled at the message. Ruben was definitely a creative genius, alright. And a weird one at that. She couldn't wait to fill him in on camp so far - like about the cabin, and how Nicole had a nervous breakdown when she'd be sharing a bathroom with the rest of the cabin, and how Arnold was planning major revenge on the guys who'd pranked him last year and how she'd met an artist like herself when she'd first arrived, and-

"Rockett!" Jessie cut into Rockett's thoughts. "Hey, whatcha looking at?" she asked when she noticed Rockett staring into her pc. "C'mon! We don't want to be late for our first activity. Let's go!"

Rockett followed as Jessie pulled her out the door. When they entered the mess hall, Rockett asked, "What are we doing in here? Change of activities or something?"

"I hope so," Nicole interjected. "Because there is no way they're making ME, Nicole Ann Whittaker, ride on a dirty, smelly horse. Talk about HIDEOUS!"

Rockett frowned. Didn't Nicole love horseback riding? What was the problem there?

"So _NOT_, Nicole," Nicole's best friend, Stephanie Hollis, piped up. Everyone at Whistling Pines knew that Stephanie was a major animal-lover. "Horses are gorgeous animals," she said. "They're very smart and agile. And please stop complaining, just because you don't get to ride your own horse at your grandmother's. These horses are just fine. Trust me."

Nicole sniffed, "The only horse who is worth riding is my own darling Reginald. I refuse to ride any others."

Rockett wondered what Whitney Weiss would have said if she would have been there. Whitney, who was the third member of Nicole and Stephanie's clique, never attended camp, since she was off visiting her mother in Austria during the summer.

"Attention!" Melody interrupted as the students continued to babble throughout the mess hall. Rockett glanced up. "Thank you," Melody said once everything had calmed down. "Before we go horseback riding, we have a few rules we need to go over. In order to keep Camp Luna a fun, safe place for everyone, we need to abide by the rules. Our motto is _'friendship_,' so if anyone looks left-out, we need to extend a hand and show kindness."

Cleve and Max laughed. "Friendship," they said slowly as the held up their palms to Arnold Zeitbaum.

Just as Arnold was about to slap them five, the boys withdrew their hands. "_Psych_!"

Rockett rolled her eyes. They could be so immature sometimes.

Melody continued on with the rules. "Yes, promoting friendship is our most important rule. Now on to the others, which are just as important: there is to be no horseback riding without saddles, no getting too close to the fire during the camp roast this evening, no straying away from the cabins after ten, no hiking without a buddy, and finally, no electronics. Excluding cell phones, of course, if you need to make a call to your parents, but we limit you to one phone call per day."

Rockett did a double-take. No electronics? How in the world was she supposed to use her pc? Rockett raised her hand.

"This isn't school, Movado," Max teased.

Rockett ignored him. But before she could say a word, Melody spoke up again.

"I know this is summer and all, but we still need to be respectful of the nature around us, so no walkmans, headsets or pocket computers. Is that clear? Goodie! I know we're going to all have a super time, as long as we abide by the rules! Now, you in the middle row? With the red hair? Did you have a question?"

Rockett froze. "Uh...yeah. When are we uhm..." Rockett tried her best to come up with a new question. "...Um...going horseback riding?

Melody eagerly tapped the schedule she was holding. "Right now!" she answered cheerily.

From where she was sitting, Rockett could see Sharla roll her eyes, Nicole smirk and Cleve and Max laugh. It was pretty clear their new camp counselor was a _taaad_ too perky for their liking.

As the kids begin to file out of the mess hall, Rockett found Jessie. "So, you ready to do this thing or what?" she asked her, a bit nervously.

Jessie grinned. "I'm totally ready! This is great! I haven't been horseback riding in months!"

Rockett blinked. _'Months?' _

Rockett herself had never actually been on a horse before. She hoped everything would be alright.


	7. Horse Sense

Chapter 7: Horse Sense

"Alrighty, buckos! Who's ready to ride, cowboy-style?"

A low murmer filled the stable areas.

"I'll explain the basics," the instructor replied, saddling up on a gray horse.

Rockett realized she'd just went blank. Basics?

"What basics?" she asked Jessie, just as the girls were getting ready to ride.

"C'mon," Jessie chided her. "There's nothing to it. Just give it a try. It's a lot of fun!"

Rockett watched Jessie saddle up with a twinkle in her eye. If Jessie said it was fun, than it had to be.

Hesitantly, Rockett tried to hoist herself up onto the horse - 'tried' being the operative word here.

Just as she was about to slip, someone reached out to steady her.

"Need a hand?" Davis asked.

"Oh! Hi, Davis. Yeah, I think I do. I'm not too keen on horses... or riding," Rockett admitted.

"It's cool," Davis replied. "You just need a little help, and you'll be ready in no time. You picked a good horse, by the way. Name's Pepper. The instructor was riding him earlier."

"Well, that makes me feel a little better. So, how do I ride him?"

Davis smiled at her. "Weren't you listening to the rules?" he teased.

"Well, yeah, but still. I've never actually like...um-"

"You've never been on a horse before?"

"I didn't say that. I mean, I haven't been on one lately."

Davis nodded at the understatement. "I see what you mean. Well, it's kind of like riding a bike. You forget, but once you get back on, it all comes back to you, and you remember. No worries. I think you'll do great."

Rockett wasn't so sure.

To: Meg Durrand

From: Rockett Movado

Subject: "HEEEELLLP!"

**I desperately need your advice! Anyway, I'd better make this quick. I excused myself from our horseback riding activity so I could send this message to you - I'm not supposed to even be on this thing, but I guess they have like a new rule or something - more on that later. Tell me ASAP everything you know about riding a horse - I'm clueless! **

**Waiting (desperately!) for your reply!**

**-Rockett**

Rockett quickly closed her pc, put it away, and then slipped out of the bathroom stall she'd been hiding in. She'd snuck in so she could compose a message without anybody else finding out. She knew of course, that other people had seen her with her device, but maybe, somehow, some way, they'd forgotten all about it and were off busily minding their own business.

Yeah, right.

Rockett hurried back to the horse track. Luckily, no one had left yet.

She got up onto her horse, and waited for the instructor's call. Once everyone was ready, the instructor hollered, '_go_!' and they were off.

Although her heart was pounding hard inside her chest, she tried her best to remain calm. Everybody else looked totally serene - everyone but Nicole, who had 'called in sick' on her first activity. Rockett had no idea how Nicole had convinced the counselors that she really was sick on the first day of camp. Somehow they'd bought it.

"Hey, Rockett!" Arrow Mayfield said as she trotted over. "Is this the best activity here or what? I mean, besides the campfire and all. I love horseback riding!"

Rockett figured that much. Arrow was totally great at everything! And besides that, Arrow loved animals and the great outdoors. So the girl was clearly in her element.

"So far, so good," Rockett said carefully. "Actually, to tell you the truth, Arrow, I'm not so sure I'm so good at this."

Arrow grinned. "It's not about being good. After all, the horse is the one who will be doing half the work. Your job is just to remain in-control of that work. You know, like animals and humans living in symbiosis. And besides that, it's really just about enjoying the tranquility and the scenery around you."

Rockett cocked her head to the side. "Hmm, I've never thought of it like that."

"That's all there is to it. So, c'mon, already. We can ride alongside each other on the track. You'll love riding, Rockett, I promise."

Rockett followed Arrow onto the horse track. At the beginning, her hands were shaking like crazy as she held the reigns. 'What if I fall off? What if I run into somebody else and they fall off? What if somebody runs into me, and I run into the person in front of me, and we all fall off? Then what?'

"Rockett," Arrow said, catching the uneasy look on her friend's face. "Just relax. Let the horse do his job, and you just enjoy yourself. It's really beautiful out."

Rockett steadied herself, and looked up from the reigns.

Mountains and meadows and trees and leaves and rolling grass were all spread out before her - and they looked more gorgeous than ever. "Wow," Rockett sighed in awe.

"Pretty amazing, isn't it?" Arrow smiled. "Hey! Look over there! Is that an eagle?"

Rockett followed Arrow's gaze. Sure enough, her friend's favorite bird was flying high above their heads.

"I've never seen one this close before," Rockett said.

"I have," Arrow said, still looking up. "Many times. But not one THIS beautiful. See, Rockett, this is the most perfect place to get inspired out here. Totally amazing, huh?"

"It really is," Rockett responded.

"What you girls lookin' at?" Davis interjected, as he trotted up to them.

"An eagle," Arrow answered. "Way up there."

"Can you see it?" Rockett asked.

Davis looked up, turning his head this way and that, trying to pinpoint the eagle. He smiled when he finally saw. "Yep," he replied. "All the way towards the left. It's amazing."

"Totally," Arrow sighed.

"Rockett! Arrow!" Miko Kajiyama called from the front of the track. "You guys still back there? Hurry up!"

"Wow, time really flies when you actually take the time to enjoy what's up here," Rockett said. "But we'd better go. Uhh, Arrow? You coming?"

Rockett glanced over towards Arrow, who was still watching the skies. She didn't budge. "You go on ahead. I'll catch up later," she said.

Rockett gave her a nervous smile. Great. How was she supposed to ride now? Arrow had totally been keeping her chill about this whole horseback riding thing. Now what was she supposed to do?

'_Okay, this is fine. I got this. I can ride a horse without Arrow's help...I think.'_

But just as they'd left Arrow, she realized she had been wrong. Very wrong.

"Whoooooa!" Rockett screamed as Pepper got up on his hind legs. Rockett's head started spinning. The ground looked blurry. The horse she couldn't control.

Davis galloped to the rescue, jumped off his horse and ran over to Pepper. "Whoa! Steady, boy, steady," he said firmly, as he pet the horse's head. "It's okay, it's okay."

Pepper settled back down on all fours. Davis carefully helped Rockett get off.

"I think he just got a little nervous. Horses can sense your feelings you know."

"Well," Rockett replied, trying to laugh it off. "At least now I know horseback riding isn't for me."

Davis shook his head. "I don't think that's true. It just takes a little bit of practice. So far..."

"I've done pretty awful, huh?" Rockett guessed.

"Actually, I was going to say you've been doing really well. Ha, you shoulda seen me the first time I was on a horse...I couldn't even _ride_ him I was so jumpy," Davis replied. "But, I really wanted to get good at it, since my brothers have always loved riding horses, and it always looked like fun. So, I've been practicing ever since."

"Seriously? Wow, I'd never believe that. It just seems like it comes so easy for you."

"Trust me when I say it _doesn't_. It just takes a little practice is all."

And practice they did until the instructor called everyone back to the stables.

Rockett was exhausted, but she couldn't believe how she got totally into the activity. Now, she had to admit, she loved horseback riding!

Rockett excitedly dashed back to her cabin. She couldn't WAIT to tell Meg and Ruben all about her very first experience riding. As quickly as she could, Rockett slipped into the bathroom of the girl's cabin and closed the door behind her. She definitely didn't want anyone to see her on her pc.

It was hard getting into the cabin's bathroom. Someone was _always_ in there. Whether it was Nicole applying her leave-in berry hair conditioner, Sharla taking out her tongue pierce, or Stephanie sneaking more makeup on, there was always something. Rockett, however, did not use the bathroom for vanity purposes. She used it for secretly sending off emails.

Message received.

To: Rockett Movado

From: Meg Durrand

Subject: "HELP for you!"

_**ROCK!**_

**Hey, I know I'm probably getting back to you mega-late, but I just wanted to tell you that riding a horse is easier than pie. It's loads of fun, and the best part is you can go at your own pace. Good luck if you haven't gone riding already. If you have, here's hoping it was a total blast!**

**-Meg**

To: Meg Durrand

From: Rockett Movado

Subject: "Help received!"

**Hey, Meg!**

**Thanks for the advice - it came late, but of course I still totally appreciate it :) Soooo, I have to tell you about my first experience riding a horse. At first, it was a little scary (okay, a LOT scary), but Arrow and Davis (that artist guy I met earlier - really nice!) helped me out. I got a lot of practice for the first time, if I do say so myself ;) I'd actually gotten to practice a ton today! And at first, I didn't really think it was for me. But I've come to the conclusion that it is now one of my favorite hobbies! Gotta jet, MM. More later!**

**-Rockett**

To: Rockett Movado

From: Ruben Rosales

Subject: "El Caballo"

**Hey, hey!**

**So, how did the riding go? I'll bet you did **_**increíble**_**! By the way, you never replied back and told me what you thought of my latest masterpiece - don't go breakin' my heart, **_**chica**_**! Things are pretty cool with me. Carlo just got home from summer school, and we're getting along pretty well...sort of. **

_**Besos y abrazos!**_

**-Ruben**

To: Ruben Rosales

From: Rockett Movado

Subject: "Thumbs up for riding!"

**Hey, Ruben! Sorry this is so late. Anyway, I have SO much to tell you about camp! But, I'm gonna have to be a little sneaky here. (FYI, there's a new rule here Camp Luna. Namely, no electronics:( It totally tanks). Well, first off, I met this really cool-**

Rockett paused. Should she tell Ruben about Davis? It wasn't that big worth mentioning. And anyway, It almost felt kind of strange. For some reason, she decided to leave it out.

A knock on the door startled Rockett. "Who is it?"

"Is that you, Rockett? It's me, Jessie. We're about to start the campfire soon. You coming out?"

Rockett quickly rushed out. "Oh! Hey, Jess. Yeah, I'm going. I just gotta grab my blue sweatshirt - have you seen it?"

"I think you left it on your bunk by your suitcase. I'll help you look."

"Thanks, Jess."

After the girls had - finally! - found Rockett's sweatshirt, they hurried out to meet the others at the fire circle.


	8. Lost In The Woods

Chapter 8: Lost In The Woods

"Rockett! Jessie! So nice of you two to join us!" Melody spouted as soon as the two friends made their way to the campfire.

"Sorry we're late," Jessie said. "We were looking for Rockett's sweatshirt."

Max laughed. "What the hay do you need a sweatshirt for? It's like, eighty-degrees out. _And_ we got a campfire."

No wonder Jessie thought Max was annoying. Rockett let her eyes wander around the fire circle for other people who were actually worth paying attention to.

She spotted Nicole, decked out in her "camping gear." Nicole's getup included earmuffs (despite the heat) some kind of pink, rhinestone canteen, and matching fluffy pink boots. If Max and Nicole weren't such close buds, he probably would made some kind of snarky comment about her outfit, too.

Or maybe he already did.

Next, she spotted Arnold Zeitbaum, sitting next to Miko, Nakili and Dana, who were trying to scoot away as far as they could from him without it being obvious. Rockett couldn't help but smile. Some things would never change.

Rockett glanced around at the next person sitting down at the fire circle. Davis. He was wearing shorts and a green t-shirt that perfectly matched his green eyes. His light-brown bangs flopped in his face, making him look even cuter than usual, if that was possible. Davis noticed her looking over and smiled. Rockett turned red, and her heart gave a pound. All of a sudden, she caught herself.

_'What am I doing? I have a boyfriend! And, not just ANY boyfriend! I've got the universe's greatest, a guy who's smart, and charming and funny and a totally-great pal. I mean, yeah, Davis is totally cute and all, but I don't like him! I mean, I like him, but not like that. Just as a friend.'_

"Alrighty!" Melody said suddenly. Rockett jumped. " Now that everyone's here, let's begin the roast! Who wants s'mores? I've got chocolate, marshmallows, grahams. So, if you all would please form an orderly line, I'll gladly pass them out."

Bad move on her part. Of course everybody wanted s'mores. But of course _nobody_ wanted to form an orderly line.

It was only a matter of time before things got severly out of control. Boys hungrily crowded the fire, sticking their marshmallows in, and - just as quickly - burning them and going back for more. Nicole screamed as someone accidentially bumped into her, getting melted chocolate all over her sweater. Max and Cleve were already bored of their burping contest, so now they used their roasting sticks as swords and begin to fence. Both Nakili and Stephanie tried their best to squeeze in next to Chaz, who was sitting at the fire, watching Cleve and Max duke it out. If he noticed the girls trying hopelessly to get his attention, he didn't let on. A second later, somebody screamed.

"This is madness," Davis said, taking a step towards Rockett.

"What?" she asked. " You mean the noise?"

"No, I mean I haven't even gotten a third s'more yet - whatsup with that?"

"Lucky you," Rockett laughed as she glanced down at her own skewer. "I haven't even gotten one."

"Davis! Rockett!" Melody hollered over the chaos. "Could you run into the dining room and pick up another bag of marshmallows?"

"Sure thing," Davis hollered back. He turned to Rockett. "Coming?"

"Uh..." Rockett hesitated.

"Please get more chocolate too!" Melody called again. "And more graham crackers!"

"Let's go," Davis urged. Rockett had no choice but to follow.

"You sure you remember where the kitchen is? Isn't it by the mess hall or something?" Rockett asked, once they had started walking.

"Yup," Davis panted. "But, that's the long way - I know a shortcut."

Eventually, Davis slowed down. "Hang on, a sec, Rockett," he panted. "I need to catch my breath."

Rockett nodded. "Sure. It's okay. But, hey, I can run to the dining area and look around for those marshmallows, and then you can catch up at the fire circle. Sound good?"

Davis nodded, still panting. But just as Rockett turned to go, she stopped. "Uh, where are we?" she asked uncertainly.

"At Camp Luna," Davis joked.

"I know _that_, but I mean where exactly are we? I don't see the mess hall or anything. In fact, I don't even remember which way we came."

Rockett looked all around her. It was dark. Very dark. And there weren't any lights to guide the way. In fact, the only visible light was from the very bright moon and it's reflection on the lake. Other than that, it looked as though they had wandered away from the camp grounds.

Rockett started to worry. Being lost in the woods was one thing. Being lost in the woods with no light or direction as to where the camp grounds were, was another.

"Uh, Davis? I hate to say it, but are we like...lost?"

Davis shook his head. "We're good, Rockett," he said as he clicked on his flashlight. "I'll find the way back."

_Splash!_

Rockett whirled around. "Gee, what was that?"

_Splash! Splash!_

"I think it's coming from the lake," Davis said, shining his flashlight towards the water.

"Wh-what do you think it is?" Rockett asked nervously.

"Could be an alligator - we'd better get out of here," Davis responded as they took off.

"Middle path!" Davis called as they darted down a trail.

"You sure?" Rockett asked. She was scared, but she took the path anyway.

"I'm positive."

They ran down the trail, and onto another split path.

"Left! We were on the left when we came this way, I'm sure of it!"

Summoning up her courage, Rockett raced down the left path.

Finally, some lights begin to come into view.

"Keep going straight," Davis said. "We're almost there."

Rockett followed until they had completely ran out of breath. Luckily, they'd managed to do so right after they'd found the mess hall. Rushing into the dining room, they both collapsed onto the floor. "_Whew_!"

"Ohmigosh, Davis! You did it!" Rockett cheered, getting up to give him a hug.

A moment later, she realized her mistake. And that they weren't alone.

The rest of the kids were in the dining room as well, chowing down on s'mores. Rockett locked eyes with Jessie, who gave her a betrayed look.

"Jessie!" Rockett cried as she followed her friend back to the cabin. She'd been calling her since they were in the dining room. But Jessie hadn't responded. Not up until now, anyway.

"Rockett, how could you? What about Ruben? You know he would be so hurt if he found out what was going on with you and that David guy!"

"Davis." Rockett corrected her and wished she'd hadn't. Jessie gave her a look that said _I-knew-it_.

"And nothing!" Rockett protested. "Nothing is going on! What are you talking about?"

"You went with him to the dining room, you've been hanging out with him since we got here. I saw you guys talking a whole lot when we were riding horses on the track earlier. And, just now, you gave him a big hug in front of everyone! What more proof do you need?"

"I-" Rockett opened her mouth to defend herself, but no words emerged. That is, no words that helped her out, anyway.

"I didn't know everybody was in there!"

"So, you mean you thought you guys were by yourselves or something? Like, on a date?"

"No!" Rockett boomed. "I just went with him to get more s'mores stuff, and we got a little lost."

"C'mon, Rockett. Admit it. Who randomly gets lost in the woods when the mess hall's just that close?" Jessie asked gently.

"He said he knew a shortcut..."Rockett said, realizing how dumb she sounded.


	9. Lost And Not Found

Chapter 9: Lost & Not-Found

Before the girls could get much further in their conversation, their cabin counselor, Bethany, announced that they had ten mintues until lights-out.

"Look, Rockett," Jessie said as she searched her duffel for her toothbrush. "I'm not mad at you or anything, I'm just disappointed. I mean, if you really _do_ like this Davis guy, then maybe you should call the whole thing off with Ruben first."

"Jessie, I don't _want_ to call it off at all! I _like_ Ruben, not Davis," Rockett said. "In fact, I'm going to send him an email right now." As she spoke, Rockett reached into her pocket to pull out her pc.

"Rockett, don't! Beth will see you," Jessie whispered, looking over in the direction of their counselor.

"Oh, you're right. Thanks, Jess. Well, okay. I'll email him later on tonight. Like, after lights-out," Rockett said as she made her way to the bathroom to wash up. Hopefully, she thought, no one would see her on her pc if everyone was asleep.

Rockett knocked on the door to the bathroom. It was locked.

"Typical," groaned Sharla, who had just walked up to the bathroom door.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Rockett said. "I may have gotten in here like, once since we've arrived."

"Just a bunch of brats spending years in front of the mirror. No big deal, it's not like the rest of us have to go wash up or anything."

Dana joined them at the door. "Who is in there now?" she asked. "Beth seriously better start a five-minute rule. I'm getting tired of always waiting."

The door opened and Nicole stepped out wearing a satin, blue nightgown and fluffy, pink slippers. Although it was nearly bed-time, Nicole still had her makeup on.

"Oh, great," Sharla groaned again. "This long in the bathroom and you haven't even washed off all of your face paint?"

"For your information,_ Sharla_, my beauty is one-hundred percent natural." Nicole flipped her blonde hair back dramatically and gave Sharla a smug look. "That," she said, pointing a frosted pink fingernail at Sharla's thick black eyeliner, "is _not_ natural."

"Why I oughta-" Sharla said stepping forward.

"Uh, guys?" Rockett cut in. "Door's open. Don' t you need to go wash up?"

"Go ahead," Sharla growled. "I've got something to settle here first."

"Cut it out, ladies," Bethany called from her bunk. "You two need to relax."

Sharla rolled her eyes. "The goody-two shoes counselor comes to the Dragon Queen's rescue. Typical."

Meanwhile, Dana and Rockett were still standing by the door. "Dana, you can go on ahead if you want to," Rockett offered.

"Okay," said Dana, stepping on ahead of Rockett and marching into the bathroom. Before Rockett could even hear the girl breathe a 'thank you,' Dana slammed the door behind her.

_'So much for being nice to Dana,'_ Rockett thought. _'I guess I'd better forget about her for now. I've got bigger things to deal with.'_

Like getting back to Ruben already.

Rockett peered around. Everyone in the cabin looked busy. Most everyone was up in their bunks already, talking, reading or painting each other's nails. Slowly, she reached into her pocket again. It was empty.

Rockett's eyes widened as she searched frantically around the floor. Had she dropped it or something? No, she definitely would have heard it fall - it was too heavy not to notice. She darted over to Jessie.

"Hey! Have you seen my pocket computer? I can't find it!"

"No, I haven't. But we'd better find it before Bethany or any of the others see it," Jessie said as she begin to search their bunks.

Instantly, Bethany noticed the commotion. "Did you girls lose something?" she asked.

_'Oh, no! She knows! How could she know? This is terrible!'_

"Uh, just some...uh..." Rockett wracked her brain to come up with something. She was a terrible liar, and she hated lying anyway. What could she say?"

"Nothing!" she and Jessie said at the same time.

Bethany drew her eyebrows together into a frown. "_Okaaaay_," she said slowly. "Well, let me know if you need help."

"Got it! Thanks!" Rockett said quickly. She turned back to Jessie. "What do I do?" she cried frantically. "If somebody finds that thing, I'm history! Getting in trouble is the least of my problems. That thing has my personal journal in it!"

"Don't worry," Jessie said, trying to calm her frantic-friend. "We'll find it. Worst case scenario, we'll find it in the morning."

Rockett's eyes flashed. "What? No way, Jessie!" she said, barely keeping her voice to a whisper. "I mean, what if somebody else finds it first?"

"They won't," Jessie assured her. "Now, let's get to bed already. The sooner we do, the sooner we can find it tomorrow."


	10. The Bet

Chapter 10: The Bet

"Wake up, sleeping beauties!" Bethany cried. "Up, up, up! It's time to get on with the day, already!"

Groans filled the girls' cabin. It was way too early for yelling.

"Hey, Rockett!" Jessie whispered. "Let's get up. We can start looking for your pocket computer while everyone else is getting ready."

Rockett stifled a yawn. "Okay, I'm coming, Jess," she said as she carefully climbed down from the top bunk.

Jessie was already looking under the bed again - although the girls had already checked underneath it five times the night before. "I don't see it," Jessie said doubtfully. "We need to look around some more."

Rockett nodded as she checked her jeans pocket again.

"I think the problem is that we're looking in the same places we looked last night. Try re-tracing your steps. Where was the last place you had it?"

"I don't know," Rockett said miserably. "I know I had it in the mess hall."

"Which time?"

"What do you mean?"

"We were in the mess hall more than once. Which time did you have it with you?"

"The first time," Rockett answered.

"Where was it the second time?" Jessie asked.

"Um, I think I'd left it in the cabin or something...oh wait!" Rockett said suddenly. "I had it whenever we got back from the race track. I left it by the sink!" On that note, Rockett raced to the bathroom. Bad timing. The room was crowded with girls, some even spilling out of the door. Rockett pushed ahead, anyway.

At least five or six girls were stationed at the mirror, applying makeup. The rest were all just waiting in line, it looked.

"This is ridiculous," Miko said. "I just need to get in there to brush my teeth!"

Nakili joined her. "Mmm-hmm. I hear that, girl. Just how long has everyone been in there, anyway?"

"Like, for days it seems," Miko griped.

"Guys," Rockett said to them. "I really need your help for a second. I left something very important up by the sink the other day, and I _really _need to get it back."

"What is it?" inquired Miko.

"Yeah," said Nakili.

Rockett looked around to make sure no one was listening. "It's-"

"Hi, Miko, Nakili," Dana said as she marched up to the group. "Rockett. What are you guys doing over here?"

"Trying to get ready, if Nicole and everyone else would just hurry it up already," Miko said, annoyed.

"We'll worry about that later," Nakili said to her. "Now, Rockett. Go ahead. What were you saying?"

Rockett looked at Dana, hesitating. "Uhh, well..."

"You lost something, right?" asked Miko.

"Um, right," Rockett said.

"So what is it?" asked Nakili.

Rockett said nothing.

"Oh, puh-lease," Dana scoffed. "What? You're afraid to tell me? Bad choice, Rockett. You know you'd need my help finding...whatever it is you were saying."

Rockett glared. "Dana, you have it!"

"No, I don't, Rockett," Dana snapped back.

"Then how did you even know I'd lost something?"

"I overheard you guys talking. _Duh_."

"Look," Nakili said as she stepped in between them. "Dana, you didn't like it when Rockett had our CSG book, and I'm sure she wouldn't like it if _you_ had something that belonged to her."

Dana rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Nakili. I said I didn't have it."

Rockett rolled her eyes this time. "I'll talk to you guys later."

"You know, Rockett, I'm sure if you told _me_ about whatever you were going to tell _them_, it could really help you out. I'm really good at finding stuff," Dana replied.

Before Rockett could say anything, Nakili said, "Rockett, give the girl a chance. Dana's really helpful, you know."

Rockett bit her lip. "I'll think about it," she said.

Rockett didn't wait up for the bathroom. She got dressed, grabbed her backpack, and brought along her toothbrush. She decided to just get ready in the mess hall instead.

"Jess," Rockett said as the girls brushed their teeth. They were huddled inside the mess hall's guest restroom by the sink. "I'm still really worried about this. You saw how many people were crowded around the mirror today. Anybody could have just picked it up."

"I was in there last night washing up, and I didn't see anything," said Jessie. "Are you sure you left it there?"

"Positive."

"Don't let it get to you. We_ will _find it. Maybe not right now, but soon enough. Anway, I'm done now, Rockett," Jessie said as she rinsed off her toothbrush and slipped it into a plastic bag. "You ready?"

"I guess."

Rockett and Jessie ditched the girls' restroom and walked into the mess hall. "Wow," said Jessie. "We're the first girls here. Everybody else is back in the cabin, taking centuries to get ready."

Rockett nodded as they sat down at Cleve and Max's table.

"What's up, ladies?" Max asked.

"Yeah," said Cleve. "You two are up early."

"Not exactly," Rockett replied. "We're just the only ones actually _done_ getting ready for the day."

"Ahh, all those girls trying to pretty themselves up for yours truly," Cleve commented. "So, how was the rest last night? I mean, did you dream more about me or Max over here?"

Rockett and Jessie exchanged glances and rolled their eyes.

Max blushed. "So, uhm, Jessie, are you and Sharla still going to be buddies for the hike today?"

Before she could respond, Cleve asked, "What hike?"

"We're supposed to take a hike up to that big mountain today after lunch," Rockett informed him.

Suddenly, the girls arrived at the mess hall. Cleve jokingly covered his ears. "Whoo! Man! Isn't it a little early for them to be in total motor-mouth mode? Hmm. Try saying _that_ five times fast."

"Motor-mouth mode, motor-mouth mode, motor-mouth-" Max said.

"Okay, campers!" Melody interrupted.

Max and Cleve groaned at the sound of their head counselor's overly-perky voice.

"Who's ready for another totally amazing day at camp?"

"Hey, this cafeteria food's so not bad," Miko commented as she, Nakili, Dana, Arrow, Rockett and Jessie chowed down on the daily special. "Now if only the chef here could replace Mr. Pill back home."

Everybody at the table laughed. Except for Rockett, who only smiled half-heartedly.

"Okay," Miko said as she wiped her lips with a paper napkin. "Rockett, it's time. You have to tell us what you were looking for."

Rockett looked hesitantly at each of the faces at the table. Some she could trust. Others she could not.

Miko tried again. "Does Jessie know?"

Rockett bit her lip.

Miko groaned. "_Rockett_!" she whined. "C'mon! This is so not fair. You always tell Jessie stuff, and you never tell _me_ anything."

Dana eyed Rockett suspiciously. "I'll bet it's because _I'm_ here," she snapped.

Max and Cleve joined the group of girls. "Mind if we sit here?" Cleve asked.

The girls all looked at one another. "Sure," they said.

"Thanks," Max said as he took a seat. "Goodstaff and I are getting really tired of talking about hotties, lip gloss and nail polish."

Arrow nodded as she glanced over at the Ones table where Cleve and Max had been sitting. "I think that's enough to make anyone nauseous," she giggled. "So, who's ready for the big hike right after this? I know I am."

"Yeah, me too!" Jessie said excitedly. "I saw the mountains on our way up here. I can't wait to go up there and actually check out the view."

"It's gotta be insane," Arrow said. "I mean, totally serene and everything. It's _such_ a romantic spot."

"Ohhhhhh!" Cleve and Max groaned simultaneously. "And to think we were actually going to get away from all this girl-talk," Cleve said.

Arrow rolled her eyes. "Whatever, guys. So, are you two going to hike up that moutain _all_ by yourselves?"

Cleve flexed. "Yup," he said. "And by the time you girls catch up, Max will have already gotten to go on that cruise he was supposed to go on and back."

"Yeah-uh!" Max cheered as he slapped Cleve a high-five.

"I'll bet _not_," Arrow challenged. "How about we make this interesting?"

"I'm game," Cleve replied.

"Yeah, we're in," said Max.

"Okay, so here's the deal," Cleve said. "If we win, you girls have to-"

"Not so fast," Arrow replied. "We have to talk it over first. What do you guys think?" she asked as she turned back to the girls.

"How about something totally humiliating," suggested Miko mischieviously. Nakili and Dana nodded. "Yes!"

"Alright," Arrow said, turning back to face the guys. "When we win, you guys have to carry each one of us back down the mountain."

"No way," Cleve said. "There's like six of you. That would take forever."

"Yeah, and if we won that match, you guys would have it easy," Max added. "There's only two of us, and we're not _that_ big."

"Your heads are," Arrow replied. "Fine, new plan. Winners get to go back to the cabins and chill, while the losers have to camp out that night on the mountain. Sound fair?"

Rockett tried to hide her grin. This was a total win/win for Arrow.

"Okay, we'll do it," Max decided.

"Great," said Arrow. "One more thing: maybe you boys should recruit another member. You're going to need all the help you can get!"

"Really?" asked Cleve. "Like, who?"

"Wolf DuBois," Max coughed into his hand.

"Of course," Dana replied, looking over at Arrow. It was pretty obvious that Arrow had a thing for Wolf.

"Well, if you think he can help you guys out, then sure," Arrow said.

"You drive a hard bargain, hippie chick," Max said. "But, it's on!"

"It so is," declared Arrow.


	11. Finally Friends?

Chapter 11: Finally Friends?

After lunch, Rockett met up with Arrow, Jessie and The CSGs.

"Okay," Arrow said to the girls. "This should be easier if we split up into groups. There's six of us and three of them. So the boys will hike together and we'll divy up the rest of us."

"Sounds like a plan," Nakili replied. "Alright, so how are we going to do this?"

"I'll be on Rockett's team," Arrow decided.

"Me too," Jessie said.

That left the CSGs.

Nakili spoke up. "Guys, a main point in this activity should be to try and get to know everybody else, as well. Obviously I know Miko better than I know Arrow. So how about we separate the cliques and team up that way?"

"Deal!" Jessie was the first to agree, being that she hated cliques.

"Okay, cool, Nakili said. "So, how about me and Arrow and Jessie are on one team. Miko, Dana, Rockett - you guys are the other."

"Whatever," Dana snapped. "As long as we don't lose to the boys, I don't care what we do."

"Does everyone have their sleeping bags?" Arrow asked. Both teams had agreed to bring their sleeping bags so the losing team wouldn't have to hike back down the mountain to get their stuff.

"Check!" the girls answered.

"Then let's do this!" Nakili roared. "Ready, guys?"

"_So_ ready!" Cleve said in a girly voice as he sauntered over to the two teams. Max and another boy followed behind him. Like the girls, they too were carrying sleeping bags just in case they were the ones who had to camp out on the mountain.

Dana scoffed. "What are you guys doing here? Shouldn't you be off working on a strategy or something?"

"Already have," Max said with pride. "It's beating you girls."

"So, where's Wolf?" Arrow interrupted, looking past the boys.

"Change of plans," Cleve announced. "Wolf's already hiking with Bo, so we got ourselves a replacement - Davis."

Rockett's heart pounded. That was the last thing she needed. Jessie already thought she was totally head-over-heels in love with the guy, anyway. What was she going to think now that he'd be hiking with them?

"Davis here loves hiking, which I think makes him an excellent partner, eh, girls?" Max asked.

"We'll win for sure," Cleve said.

"We'll see," Arrow replied.

After Melody gave the kids the 'stick-with-your-buddy' lecture, the groups darted off.

Well, the boys did anyway.

"Why are we so slow?" Dana asked Arrow. "We need to catch up to them!"

"Trust me," Arrow said calmly. "They'll tire out before we've even had a chance. Once they start walking, then we'll pick up the pace."

"Your group can do that," Dana snapped. "_We're_ going to catch up before we lose." She turned to Rockett and Miko. "Coming?"

"I don't know," Miko said hesitantly. "Arrow has a good point, but so do you Dana. Rockett, what do you think we should do?"

Dana rolled her eyes and waited for Rockett to decide.

_'I've heard slow and steady wins the race, but this is ridiculous! Arrow literally just stopped to smell the flowers! Is that really the right route to go on? I mean, we do want to win, don't we?_

_Hmmm...then again, I definitely don't want to get on Dana's bad side. This is so not the time for that. I guess I'll just go with her idea to catch up with the boys. Either way, I don't want to spend the night on this mountain.'_

"Uh, let's catch up with the guys,' Rockett decided as she started to run. "Arrow, we'll meet you and Nakili and Jessie up there later!" she called over her shoulder.

Once the boys came into view, Rockett, Dana and Miko begin to slow down.

"Whew! I haven't had this much excercise since Mrs. Lutzi's gym class when we played that brutal game of dodgeball!" panted Miko. "Can we take five?"

"Not yet," Dana panted. "They're still ahead of us."

"Well then, can we at least tell them to slow down?" Miko asked.

"No!" Rockett and Dana cried at the same time. It was so awkward and unexpected, that they actually started laughing. Miko joined in the laughter, too.

"You know," she said. "Even though you guys don't get along very well, you do have a lot in common."

"Yeah, I suppose we do," Dana said sarcastically. "Like, we're both human beings who live on planet earth, and we both speak English, and that's about it."

"And, you both have red hair-"

"Different _shades_ of red," Dana corrected her.

"And you guys are both creative, and you kind of have the same ideas."

"We do _not_!" Dana protested.

"Well, you know what I mean," Miko replied. "Okay, whatever, just let it go already, Dana."

"How about _you_ let it go, Miko?" Dana snapped. "You're the one who keeps bringing it up."

"Okay, guys," Rockett tried to cut in without being annoying. "Let's just catch up with the boys."

The girls continued up the mountain, racing as fast as they could. After about two minutes, they tired out.

"This isn't working," Dana griped, as the three girls fell to the grass, exhausted.

"Now what?" asked Miko.

"We take a rain check and hope that Arrow's slow and steady technique worked?" Rockett suggested.

"Fine with me," Miko said, as she tried to catch her breath.

"Yeah, me too, I guess," Dana agreed.

"You guys," Miko said as she slowly stood up. "I'm going to go see if Arrow and the others caught up yet. Be right back!"

As soon as Miko left, an awkward silence fell over the two girls. Granted, it wasn't _that_ silent considering the wind and other sounds of nature that the girls could hear from the mountain. But still, it was quiet.

"Hey, Dana," Rockett finally said.

"Huh," Dana answered.

"Why are you always like, totally against me?" Rockett asked gently. She didn't want it to come across as her trying to start another fight.

"I'm not."

"You kind of are."

Dana shifted uncomfortably. "Because, Rockett...Okay, you want to know the real reason? I feel like you're always trying to like out-do me or something. Like, at the beginning of the year, when you first came to Whistling Pines, you were doing all this stuff that totally upstaged the rest of us," Dana said softly. "It seemed like you were just trying to get ahead, and you didn't care about anybody else."

Rockett remained silent, still listening.

"Well, except for Ruben, of course," Dana added for comic relief. "But anyway, I guess I just felt like, I don't know, like you thought you were better than me or something. Remember on the first day how we were wearing the same outfit? I know it sounds vain and all, but that really bothered me."

Rockett didn't totally get it. "How come?"

"Because..." Dana said slowly. She stopped, as if it was hard for her to continue, like it would hurt her pride or something.

"...I don't know. It's really dumb. But...I thought you were going to be like a better version of me or something. I mean, let's face it, Rockett. Miko was sort of right about saying we have a lot in common. The red hair, the same outfit, at school I just took it as a giant slap in the face. It was like...somebody far cooler than me was going to show up and steal my best friends."

"Dana," Rockett said softly. "Let's be serious. I could never be a better you than you. It was just that, you know, it was my first day, and I wanted to fit in and what not. I wasn't trying to steal Miko and Nakili, and I'm not trying to steal them now. The three of you guys have been friends forever. I had only just met them. But, here's another thing we have in common, Dana. We both liked Nakili and Miko's personalities, and we both wanted to be friends with them. I guess all the competition between us started up when we both thought we couldn't share them."

"Yeah," Dana agreed. "I guess you're right. But, look, I'm really sorry, Rockett. I know I acted pretty stand off-ish since you got here. I guess I was just jealous."

"Jealous? Of me?" Rockett was floored.

"Yeah, believe it or not, Rockett, I was."

"How?" Rockett asked, still totally confused.

"Like I said, it was like you had it all together, and everything going for you. The whole school practically wanted to be your best friend, even the popular kids."

"It's weird that you say that, because at the time, I really didn't see it that way," Rockett said. "But, if there's one thing I learned along the way, it's that you can't compare yourself to other people. At the time, that's exactly what I did, and I wondered why everything always seemed so out of place. I should have just worried about myself."

"That's a good point," Dana said. "Well, Rockett, I hope you can forgive me. And...I hope we can be friends."

_'Finally!'_

"Finally!" Rockett exclaimed, giving Dana a big hug. Dana hugged her back. It was so good to finally clear the tension!

"Ohh," Dana said. "Now that we're cool, I think it's time to let you know that I have something that belongs to you."

"You do?" Rockett asked.

"Your pocket computer," Dana said. "I found it on the bathroom sink just the other day. I was trying to give you a chance to tell me about it, but I really should have just given it back. I'm really sorry."

"That's okay!" Rockett exclaimed. She was just glad to know it was safe! "Where is it?"

"In my jeans pocket, tucked into the droor back at the cabin. I'll give it to you when we get back."

"Thanks, Dana!"

"Guys!" Miko called as she hurried behind them. "Arrow, Jessie and Nakili are _still_ way back there! We've gotta catch up with the guys, before it's too late!"

"Uh-oh," groaned Dana.

"We'd better go!" Rockett said as the trio took off.


	12. Another Artist

Chapter 12: Another Artist

"C'mon!" Miko called as they continued to run. "C'mon! We're almost there!"

Rockett and Dana followed closely behind her until finally, at long last, they arrived.

What they saw did not please them.

Cleve, Max and Davis were sitting in the lounge chairs they had brought, and by the looks of it, they had been at the top of the mountain for at least ten minutes.

"What took you girls so long?" Cleve teased as he took of his shades and sauntered over to them.

"Ugh!" Dana groaned. "They won."

"Of course we won," Max replied. "Say, where's the rest of your group?"

"Yeah," Cleve added. "They couldn't make it all the way up the mountain?" He burst out laughing at his own joke.

"No, apparently not," Dana said. "Since Arrow had this majorly dumb idea to let you guys get a huge head start."

"She went for the slow and steady route," Rockett informed them.

Cleve continued to laugh. "Funny that she was the one who started this whole bet. So, anyways, ladies, ready to enjoy the great outdoors? This is way different than staying in a cabin, I'll have you know."

"_Way_ different," Max chimed in.

Rockett sighed. "I suppose we'd better go find Arrow and the others." She turned to Dana and Miko. "You guys coming?"

"No way! I'm pooped!" Dana said. "Rockett, let's just stay up here and let Arrow and the others catch up. After all, it _was_ Arrow's idea to take two and a half _years_ to get up here."

"Yeah, Rockett. She'll come up here eventually," Miko said.

Rockett paused. She just didn't feel right leaving the other girls down at the bottom of the hill. It was already almost sunset.

"You guys stay here. I'll go down and look for them," Rockett decided.

Dana sat up from where she had been laying in the grass. "Rockett! Don't go down the mountain by yourself. It could be dangerous."

"She's right," Miko agreed. Then, a perplexed look crossed her face. "Wait, are you being _nice_ to Rockett?" she asked Dana.

"I'll fill you in later," Dana said as she fell back onto the soft grass. "Rockett, be careful," she warned.

"Nobody's going down by themselves," Davis interjected. "Here, Rockett, I'll go with you," he said.

Rockett froze. How did she keep getting herself into these Davis situations?

_'Ohhhhh man. I HAVE to go back down to make sure Arrow and the others are okay. But what am I going to do if Jessie catches me with Davis again? She'll think I'm cheating on Ruben for sure!'_

"You guys better hurry up," Cleve said as he turned to check out the skies. "It's gonna be dark out pretty soon."

Before Rockett could change her mind, she and Davis were already walking back down the mountain.

Davis, however, seemed preoccupied with something.

"What's that?" Rockett couldn't help asking.

"My sketchpad," Davis answered. "Had to bring it with me on my way up the moutain. There's just so much to see."

"There really is," Rockett commented. "Darn! The one day I forget my camera. It's totally beautiful out here."

"It sure is," Davis answered. "So, are you still working on that collage for your mom?"

"Yes and no," Rockett answered.

Davis laughed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I mean, I wanted to, but ever since we got here, things have been way busy."

"True that. There's so many activities here. Now I know where they get that expression 'so little time, so much to do.' I just want to focus on my art."

"Yeah, same here," Rockett agreed. "So what's that you're drawing now?" she asked.

Davis playfully covered his work. "You'll see. When it's done. I can't show when I'm in the middle of my work."

"Ah, so you really_ are _a true artist," Rockett remarked.

"I'd like to think so," said Davis. "But I have a lot to work on. Here," he said as he flipped to another page in his sketchbook. "I'll show ya some of the stuff I've been doing. Now, you have to tell me what you think. Be completely honest. I accept all kinds of constructive criticism."

Rockett could not believe how good of an artist Davis was - his sketches looked like real life pictures! He was incredibly talented. She'd never seen anyone draw the way he could.

"Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed as Davis flipped through the pages. "These are so amazing!"

"Really?" Davis asked.

"Of course," Rockett said.

"You should see the way my brother, Tristan, draws. He's unbelievable."

"He's better than you?"

"Way better...But, you really think I'm good? Like, I could become a professional someday?"

"You already are!" Rockett exclaimed as she stared at a picture Davis had drawn of the night sky.

"But, if I want to get better, I need to accept all forms of critique. Just tell me how I can improve."

"Well, if I were some famous artist judging your work, the worst I could say is that you're_ too _good. It's pretty unreal," Rockett admitted. "So, if it's okay with you, do you mind if I look through your sketch book? I'd love to see more of your art."

"Sure," Davis replied.

Rockett continued to look through page after page, as the works just kept getting better and better. "This is insane."

She came across a photo of a tall, German shepherd. The picture was so beautiful - Davis had captured every element. "Is this your dog?" she asked him.

Davis smiled. "Yeah, that's Rusty. I love him. We've had him since I was three."

"He's so cute!" Rockett exclaimed.

"He's awesome," Davis said. "Wish I could have brought him with me to camp."

"I totally understand. I have a cat named Mongo, whom I wish I could have brought here, too. I brought some sketches of her, but they're in my cabin."

"Maybe you could show me tomorrow?" Davis suggested.

"Yeah, if we survive tonight on the mountain," Rockett answered.

Davis laughed. "It's a deal. You show me Mongo, and I'll show you that sketch I was working on a little earlier."

"Rockett!" a voice called.

_'Oh no, is that Jessie?'_

Rockett listened again. "Rockett!" It was Miko, calling her from the top of the mountain.

Rockett and Davis raced back up to the top. They hadn't gotten very far, anyway. Once they'd made it to the top, Rockett saw that Arrow, Jessie and Nakili had already found their way up.

"Hey, Rockett," Nakili said. "Thanks for your concern. Miko told us you and Davis went back down to look for us."

"We could have won if it weren't for Arrow's stupid theory. This just took way too long," Dana griped.

Arrow shrugged. "It would have worked if we all stuck together in the first place. But, let's not argue about that now."

"Yeah," Jessie agreed. She and Arrow were peace-makers.

"Well, it's getting pretty late, and I'm getting pretty hungry," Cleve said as he stood up. "Have fun, camping girls!"

Before the boys left the moutain, Cleve nudged Max.

Max carefully approached Jessie. "Uh, this is for you," he said, handing her a note.

"Thanks..." Jessie said, a bit confused.

After Cleve, Max, and Davis were gone, Rockett turned to Jessie. "What's it say?"

"What?" asked Jessie.

"The note."

"I don't know, I haven't read it yet."

"Are you going to read it at all?"

Jessie hesitated. "Well," she said as she looked around to make sure nobody was listening in. "The truth is, Rockett, that ever since camp started, Max has been really, really nice to me. He even offered to carry my luggage to our cabin at one point."

Rockett's eyes widened. "What? Why didn't you tell me Jess? I've been rooting hard for you guys!"

"Well, the way he's been acting...it kind of reminds me of how he used to act, you know? Like, really sweet and everything. So, I'm kind of scared to open the note. I don't know what to expect."

"You won't know until you open it," Rockett pointed out. "And you don't have to tell me what's inside if you don't want to, Jess."

Jessie nodded slowly. "I'm kind of nervous."

"I understand, but what's the worse that could happen?"

"He could tell me he doesn't like me?"

"Which is so _not_ true," Rockett said.

"You really think so?" Jessie asked.

"Trust me."

_'Okay, so far, so good. If this works out, then I won't even have to try to fix Max and Jessie up - it'll already be done. I just hope the note is about what I hope it's about. Max handed it to her himself, didn't he? So, there's no way this can be a joke.'_


	13. Boy Troubles

Chapter 13: Boy Troubles

"So, do we have everything we need before we do this?" Nakili asked as the girls begin to spread out their sleeping bags.

"What does it matter?" Dana replied. "It's not like anybody's going to want to go all the way back down again."

_'I sure wish I at least had my pocket computer,' Rockett thought. 'I really need to email Meggie and Ruben. Not to mention write in my journal.'_

"Hey, Arrow," Dana said. "Why don't you have like, anything to sleep on?"

"Nature's supplied me with everything," Arrow answered. "A bed of soft grass, a rock pillow, sounds of nature to lull me to sleep - what more do I need?"

"That's a good way to think of it," Nakili said. "Arrow's right. It's totally relaxing out here."

_OOOOOOH-HOO-HOO-HOOOO-OOOOH!_

"Uh, what was that?" Nakili asked nervously.

"It sounded like an owl," Miko said.

"I love owls! Quick! Does anybody have a camera on them?" Rockett asked.

"Don't take too many pictures of the animals," Arrow said. "Don't get me wrong, I love owls too, but they don't deserve to be exploited like that."

Rockett nodded. She had to admit, so far, the mountain wasn't so bad. Now that she and Dana were getting along, it was really like one, big sleepover! Too bad Jessie wasn't getting in on the fun.

"Jess?" Rockett asked softly. "You okay?"

"Yeah, you've been kinda quiet lately," Dana noted.

"Oh, yeah, I'm alright," Jessie said absently. "Just a little tired."

"Well, you're in the wrong place for that, girlfriend," said Nakili. "Welcome to the mountain girls slumber party! Not like we're actually going to sleep. We're gonna party all night!"

"Yeah!" Arrow exclaimed, slapping Nakili a high-five.

_'This is going to be great! But, I'm still concerned about Jessie. She doesn't normally act this way. I need to ask her about the note, but how?'_

"So, Jess? Did you, uh, open the note yet?" Rockett asked.

Jessie quietly looked down at the note in her hand. "Ohh, Rockett, I can't. I'm too nervous!"

_'Jessie? This worked-up about a guy? Have we like, entered some kind of parallel universe or something?'_

"Well, it's totally up to you," Rockett said. "But just know that no matter what it says, I'll be here for you. Whether it's good or bad."

Jessie smiled at her gratefully. "Wow, you mean that? Thanks, Rockett. It means a lot to me."

Rockett smiled back. "No problem. Well hey, don't let it get to you. Let's just party, and at the end of the night, then you can open it, if you still feel like it."

"That's a good idea, Rockett," Jessie said as she stood up. "Alright, let's do it!"

"So...anybody have like, a boom box or anything?" Rockett asked the girls an hour later.

"No," Miko answered.

"Nope," Jessie replied.

"Nix," Nakili said.

"I wish," said Dana.

"Arrow?" Rockett asked.

"Shhhh," said Nakili. "I think the girl has finally crashed."

"I'm not asleep," Arrow said.

The girls all looked around, trying to pinpoint where the voice had come from. "Where are you?" Rockett finally asked.

"Over here."

"You guys," Nakili said. "I know I said this was going to be an all-night party, but let's just forget about that for now. I'm actually getting kind of sleepy."

"Ha-ha I knew you'd cave. Yeah, well, me too," Dana agreed. "Good night!"

"Good night," said Miko. "Night, Jessie!"

"Good night, Miko," Jessie replied.

"You guys?" said Rockett. "I'll be right back. I'm gonna go find Arrow."

Nakili yawned. "Okay, see ya in the morning."

Rockett quietly stood and walked over to the edge of the mountain, where Arrow was sitting.

"Hey, there you are," Rockett said. "Whatcha looking at?" She followed Arrow's gaze, until she saw what her friend had been staring at. A big, gorgeous full-moon.

"Wow," Rockett commented. "That's really beautiful."

"Yeah, it is. I always like to look out my window before bed. It helps me sleep," Arrow said.

Rockett laughed. "I can't tell if you're more like a night owl, or if you're more like a wolf, with the way you watch the moon and everything."

"Wolf," Arrow answered. "Definitely...hey, Rockett, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Well, speaking of wolves...Wolf, I mean. I wonder why he didn't come tonight. Do you think he found out that it was my idea for him to come?"

Rockett shook her head. "He was already hiking with Bo."

"I know, but still...I don't think he really gave it a fair chance. It seemed like he brushed the idea off all of a sudden."

"Don't take it personally, Arrow. I'm pretty sure he didn't even know it was you who'd wanted him to come," Rockett pointed out. "I think Cleve might have just asked him to go hike with him and Max. You know Wolf - he doesn't exactly hang around either of them."

Arrow nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I don't know, I guess I took it the wrong way and it sort of bothered me. But, thanks."

Rockett smiled. "It's no big deal. I've kinda been helping out a lot in the guy department tonight, anyway. Now if I could just fix my own guy problems."

"What do you mean?"

"Well..." Rockett hesitated, but she knew she could trust Arrow. "When we first got here, I met this guy..."

"Davis."

"...Yeah. And he's really nice and cool and everything. And he's like, a totally great artist. But, I guess Jessie kinda saw me hanging around him and got like, the wrong idea or something. I think she thinks that I like him more than Ruben."

"Well, do you?"

Rockett blinked. She definitely wasn't expecting that. Arrow could be pretty to-the-point.

"No way," she responded. "I mean, I like Davis and all, but not like that. Just as a friend. He's really cool and creative and stuff, but..." Rockett sighed. "I don't know. I just wish Ruben would have been here with us this summer. None of this would have happened."

"Actually," Arrow said slowly. "I'm pretty sure it still would have. Even if Ruben had come, Davis would have been here, too."

"I guess."

"Well, I don't know if this helps you out at all, but Ruben really likes you. And I happen to know that Davis really does, too."

"He _does_?" Rockett asked, shocked.

"Obviously," Arrow answered. "But, that's not so important right now. It's really up to you, actually. You have to decide who you like more."

"I already told you, I like Ruben."

Arrow said nothing.

Rockett sighed. "Anyway, thanks for talking to me about all this. I appreciate it."

"No problem, Rockett," Arrow replied. "Do you feel better?"

She didn't, but despite that, Rockett was glad Arrow was willing to talk to her. Since she hadn't been writing in her journal, it had been hard keeping in all her feelings.

"I'll be fine," Rockett said, as she stood up to leave. She wasn't tired, but she didn't really know what else to say at this point. "Are you going to bed anytime soon?"

"You go ahead. I'll catch up," Arrow said, just like she always did.


	14. Rescue Mission

Chapter 14: Rescue Mission

"Guys, wake up," Arrow announced. "It's morning."

Groans and guffaws filled the mountain top.

"Already?" Nakili said drowsily.

Miko emerged from her tent. "Wow! I haven't slept _that_ great in forever! This is _sooo_ much better than the cabin! No annoying girls to keep me up with all their usual madness. Just my friends!" she said, grinning hugely.

"Uh, Miko? I think the reason no one kept you up is because we all went to bed so early," Dana replied.

Miko shrugged. "It was still nice."

Rockett rubbed her eyes. She didn't even remember going to sleep.

"Jessie, wake up," she said as she turned to her friend.

"I'm up," Jessie said, smiling.

"Wow, now _that's_ a morning person!" Dana commented.

Rockett grinned. "You read the note! What did it say?"

"Shhh," Jessie said. "I didn't read it yet."

"Then, why are you so happy?"

"Well, for one thing, Dana's right - I am a morning person," Jessie smiled. "But, for the other, I was thinking a lot last night about what you said. You're such a good friend, Rockett. I really do feel really good about this. And even if the note's got some bad news in it, I'll be fine. I've got great friends, and camp is going awesome. So what more could I ask for?"

Rockett gave Jessie her biggest grin, followed by a big hug. "Nothing!" Rockett answered.

It didn't take the girls too long to pack up all of their things. Once everyone was ready, they begin to head down the mountain.

"We should do this again," Arrow said. "Make a tradition out of it. Maybe every year we come to camp, at least one day we'll come up here and have another camp-out."

"Sounds good to me!" Miko cried eagerly.

Dana smirked. "Of course it does. But I gotta admit, I really did enjoy it, too. It's so much better up here."

"It really is," Jessie smilingly agreed. "And everyone seems to be in a really good mood. If we were at our cabins, we would probably be standing in line right now, waiting around for all of those girls to finish up their makeup."

"Yeah," Rockett laughed. "Or we would still be sleeping!"

"Which wouldn't be so bad," Nakili yawned.

"It _so_ would," Dana said. "Hah! Could you even imagine if Nicole were up here right now? She would be having the worst time!"

"Are you kidding? She wouldn't even be able to make it up to the top!" Miko said. "I'm pretty sure there are no mirrors or central blow-drying up there."

When the girls finally made it back down, it was already past breakfast. Which meant that everyone else had already left for their cabins to change before the first activity of the day.

"Oh no!" Miko gasped. "If we don't hurry up, we're going to miss canoeing, and everyone's going to know that we've been gone!"

"Chill, Miko, we'll be fine," Dana replied. "Didn't the guys say they'd cover for us?"

Rockett winced. She knew trusting Cleve to make all the necessary arrangements was a bad idea. He wasn't exactly the most responsible person she knew.

"Cover?" Nakili asked suspiciously. "How?"

"Cleve said something about forging a note from the head counselor's office to make it look like we'd switched cabins for the night," Dana explained.

"What!" Miko boomed. "Then it's only a matter of time before we get in huge trouble!"

"She's right! No way can the boys keep it under wraps for that long," Nakili realized. "Besides, the head's bound to find something out sooner or later."

"Then we'd better go," Arrow said. "Follow my lead."

The girls carefully made their way back to their cabin. When they arrived at the door, they stopped.

"What are we going to say when they ask us? We need a plan!" Nakili urged.

"Calm down," Dana said. "We'll just tell them we've switched back."

"Which is true...I mean, technically," Miko said, scratching her head.

"Let's just go before they open the door first," Arrow said, stepping forward.

Together, Arrow, Dana, Nakili, Jessie, Rockett and Miko opened the door and stepped inside the cabin.

Sharla, who was waiting outside the bathroom, was the first to notice. "Whaddya know? The chumps are back. How'd it go last night staying in a cabin without nasty Nicole?"

"I heard that Sharla-Rae-Horrible!" Nicole hollered from inside the bathroom.

"Hi girls," Bethany greeted them. "We're just about to head out. Did you forget something?"

"We just got back. We're going to be staying back here again for the rest of camp," Arrow told her.

"That's great. Do you have your new cabin chart?" asked Bethany.

All six girls froze. "Uhm..." Nakili said. "Well, we can run back and get it."

"Yeah," said Rockett. "We uhh, kinda rushed out this morning."

"That's fine, don't worry about it. I'll just talk to the head before we go to the canoe race and we can get it all sorted out over there," Bethany said.

"No, don't!" Miko blurted.

Nakili and Dana eyed her. Miko could not have been more suspicious.

"Why not?" Bethany asked slowly.

"Well, because, we already know that we were assigned to _this_ cabin," Nakili quickly covered.

"I know that, too," Bethany said. "But still. It's my job to make sure things stay organized."

Before any of the girls could protest, Arrow held up her hand. "That's fine. We understand."

The other girls exchanged confused looks. Rockett hoped Arrow knew what she was doing.

"Well, since we're already ready, can we meet you guys in the mess hall?" Arrow asked the counselor.

Bethany paused. "I guess that's okay. These girls won't be ready for a while, anyways," she added in a low voice. "I'll see you guys then."

"Great. Thanks!" Arrow said before turning around to walk back out the door.

"Wait!" Rockett said. To Dana she whispered, "Can I get my pocket computer back now?"

"Yeah," Dana whispered back. "Here, it's in my top droor."

Dana and Rockett walked over to the dressers as Dana retrieved Rockett's device. "Here you go, Rockett. And again, I'm sorry about taking it earlier."

"Hey, it's no problem, Dana," Rockett said. "I'm just glad to have it back - and I'm glad to be off the hook."

"We're not out of the woods yet," Dana replied. "Beth is still going to try to go and talk to the head before our first activity. We need to come up with a plan."

Back outside, Rockett and Dana joined the rest of the girls.

"Way to go, Arrow!" Nakili congratulated her friend, slapping her a high-five. "You totally kept it low-key."

"Thanks, Nakili," Arrow said. "But we've still gotta figure out a plan. You think there's time to meet up with the boys beforehand?"

"Only one way to find out," Rockett said, taking charge. "C'mon! They're probably already at the mess hall by now."

The girls were running so fast, by the time they'd reached the mess hall, they'd nearly all crashed into one another.

"Everybody okay?" Jessie asked.

"Fine!" Dana responded. "Let's go!"

"Yeah!" Nakili added, as the girls raced into the mess hall.

Rockett was the first to notice Davis, Cleve and Max. They were sitting towards the front of the room, this time.

"Guys, guys!" she said as soon as they'd reached the boys' table. "We need your help. Thanks again for covering for us last night, but now we've got a new problem: our counselor's trying to get in touch with the head to get our old cabin chart, and she's trying to do it before the first activity. We don't have much time. Any ideas?"

"I do," Davis said abruptly. "We need a distraction. How long before the rest of your group gets back?"

"With the way those girls apply their eyeliner?" Dana asked. "I'd say about three hours, tops."

"Realistically," Davis said.

"About five minutes."

"Then we'd better jet," Max said.

"Whoa, whoa," Cleve interrupted. "Why should we help you girls? I already covered for all of you last night."

Rockett was running low on patience. "Because if you don't, the head will find out sooner or later that _you_ were the one who lied to her in the first place."

"She's makin' sense, Goodstaff," Max reasoned. "You'd better come up with a good plan. Fast."

"Okay, fine. We'll distract ol' what's-her-name. Your counselor. In the meantime, somebody needs to write a new note to give to the head," Cleve said.

"Who's good at forging notes?" Nakili asked.

Miko frowned. "Don't look at me."

"Jessie?"

"There's no way I could do that, Nakili," Jessie responded.

"Rockett, you're the most creative out of all of us," Arrow said. "And it's time to put that creativity to good use. Think you can make your handwriting look like Bethany's?"

Rockett gulped.

_'Let's face it, we're already in enough trouble as it is. Of course I could do it, but what if I get caught? Then we'll all get in more trouble.'_

Then, a new thought popped into Rockett's head.

_'You know what? The six of us? We're a pretty good group. If everyone does their part, then maybe this just might work...but even if it doesn't...so what? I'm taking one for the team.'_

"I'll do it," she finally decided.

"That's great!" cheered Nakili. "Okay, Davis, Cleve, Max - you three get out there and go do your thing. We'll handle the rest."

Cleve nodded. "Got it." He and the others stood up and raced outside.

"Who knows what oh-so-brilliant-ruse the guys will come up with _this_ time," Nakili muttered. "Let's just hope it actually works."

"Yeah," added Dana. "'Cause if it doesn't, then we'll be in real trouble."

"Guys, we really need to focus," Miko cut in. "Rockett, any idea how to start that note?"

Rockett thought for a moment. "I think I've got it," she said.

"Okay, scouts! Great job on the race! Everyone, please don't forget to return your canoes and oars back to the shed," announced Melody.

Rockett, Dana and Jessie pulled their canoe out of the water. "That was fun!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Total blast!" Dana agreed, giving Jessie a high-five.

Rockett smiled a little. A part of her was psyched that everyone was getting along, and working great as a team. Another part of her was totally nervous. Would the head find out about the forged note?

"Hey, Rockett, can I talk to you for a sec?" Jessie asked her.

Rockett nodded. "Sure. What's up?"

"I wanted to tell you about the note from Max. I finally read it."

"What!"

"Yeah. You were right. He _does_ like me. I read it this morning while while you and Dana went back into the cabin. I'm really excited!"

"That's so great, Jess!" Rockett exclaimed. "So, have you talked to him yet?"

Jessie shook her head. "Not yet. I don't really want to say anything while Cleve's around. I'll wait until after lunch."

"Sounds good, Jess. And congrats, by the way!" Rockett said to her.

Jessie smiled. "Thanks! For everything, I mean." Then, she looked around, lowering her voice. "So, has the head said anything yet? Have you heard back from Bethany?"

Rockett felt her stomach do a flip-flop. "Uhh, no. But, I hope I find out something soon. I'm totally agonizing over this."

"Don't," Jessie told her. "If we get in trouble, then we get in trouble. At least they can't give us detention, right?" she said with a wink.

Rockett laughed, despite her nerves. "Right."

Suddenly, Rockett remembered that she hadn't emailed Meg yet from her pocket computer. "Shoot! Jessie, I gotta run! Just tell them I went to the bathroom," Rockett said as she raced for the girls' restroom.

Rockett pounded a stall door. No luck. Somebody was already in there.

Since the bathrooms by the canoe area were small, Rockett realized she'd just have to be sneaky. She hid behind the shed where the staff stored all the equipment. Carefully, she pulled out her pocket computer.

**Meg!**

**Oh my gosh! Sorry I haven't replied lately! I have SO much to tell you. Not to mention I desperately need your advice right now. Anyway, the reason I haven't been replying is because Dana (I told you about her remember?) took my pocket computer the other day. Believe it or not, we're actually friends now (we bonded over a bet we'd lost where we had to camp out in the mountains) I'll tell you all about it later. For now, I totally need your help! Two things have been totally bothering me lately. One is the fact that I just forged a note to the head counselor. The other is that guy Davis I was telling you about earlier. He showed me some of his artwork the other day and he's totally amazing at it! I thought it'd be cool having another artist here. You know, somebody new and creative. I didn't really think much of it until my friend, Jessie, started totally freaking out! She thinks I'm like cheating on Ruben or something (I'm so not!). But the worst part is, now I can see how she'd think that, because Arrow (the musician girl, remember?) just told me last night that Davis likes me. Email me back asap! I'm at a total and complete loss here - I so don't know what to do!  
-Rockett**

Rockett heaved a sigh of relief. _Whew! _She'd finally gotten in touch with Meg. Now all she had to do was wait for her friend's reply - which she hoped would come quick. Rockett finished typing and clicked 'send.'

It was as that moment that she got a horrible, sickening feeling inside.

"Why, little Miss Rockett, what are you doing back here?" Melody asked her. "You know the rules," she said, taking up Rockett's device. "No electronics. Especially during activities."

Rockett gasped. "Wait! I need that! Can I just have it back really quick? Please!" she begged.

The counselor shook her head. "You may have it back later."

"But wait!" Rockett thundered. "I need it to get in touch with...um...my parents!"

"Then you can call them after dinner," Melody responded. "Sorry, girl! I don't make the rules around here."

Rockett felt like she was going to faint. Her counselor obviously didn't get it. Disoriented, all Rockett could do was just stand there, her email message relaying in her head. She hadn't sent the message to Meg.

She'd sent it to Ruben.


	15. Here Comes Trouble

Chapter 15: Here Comes Trouble

Rockett had felt so nervous about Ruben reading the email she'd meant to send to Meg, that she'd nearly forgotten about the note she'd forged to the head. So far, Beth hadn't said anything. And it was already lunch time.

"Rockett? What's wrong?" Jessie had asked her when they got back from the canoe race.

Rockett tried her best to brush her off. Obviously, she did _not_ want to talk about it.

Jessie had respected that, and the girls moved on to the cafeteria for lunch.

"I wonder what they're having today," Dana said as the campers piled in. "I'm so hungry."

"How can you think about food at a time like this, Dana? It's only a matter of time before Beth finds out and confronts us," Miko said. She paced back and forth a couple times before she'd finally sat down at the table. Clearly, she was a nervous wreck.

Nakili shrugged as she popped some trail mix into her mouth. "No worries, Miko. She hasn't said anything so far. Maybe Cleve and the others actually did their job. Obviously, we don't need to worry about the note from Rockett. I know the girl's got this one."

Rockett bit her lip. Another thing to worry about!

"Well, make sure you keep that attitude, Nakili," Dana said. "Because here comes Beth now."

"Hey, girls!" Beth said pleasantly as she approached their table.

Rockett, Jessie, Miko, Nakili and Dana all held their breath.

"Just wanted to let you know everything's secure for your new cabin. Glad you guys are back with me."

"I'm sorry!" Miko blurted. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It was all _my_ idea!"

Nakili silenced her friend. _'Yikes,' _Rockett thought_. 'Looks like everyone was prepared for the worst!'_

Beth looked majorly confused. "For what, Miko?"

"She's sorry that..." Nakili stalled. "She ate all the trail mix!"

Miko frowned. "What? No, I didn't?"

"Don't lie, Nakili," Dana said. "_You_ ate all the trail mix."

"Well, there's plenty more, if you guys want some," Beth replied. Rockett sighed. The whole ordeal had just gone completely over their counselor's head.

"That's okay," Rockett replied. "I think we'll all just sit and let it all digest for a while. Thanks, Beth!"

"No problem," Bethany responded. "See you guys at the next activity!" With that, the girls' counselor walked off.

When she was finally out of earshot, every single girl at the table let out a huge sigh of relief. They were finally off the hook.

Nakili was the first to speak. "Now that, was close!" she said.

_'Too close!'_

"Way to go, Rockett!" Nakili said, slapping Rockett a high-five. "This just proves you did totally excellent work on that note to the head. You rock."

"Yeah, that was totally choice," Dana agreed.

"Thanks, guys," Rockett smiled. She glanced around at all the faces at the table: Nakili, Miko, Dana, and of course, Jessie. She knew that she could - finally - rely on all of them.

"Guys," she said slowly. "Now that we're finally off the hook, I need to talk to you about something. I mean, I could really use your advice."

"Shoot," Dana said.

"Yeah, go for it, girl!" Nakili added.

Rockett took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. "Okay," she said as she opened them and looked around.

"Hold up!" Nakili said suddenly. "Sorry to interrupt, but can somebody go tell Arrow that it's all good? She's over in the lunch line right now."

"We'll tell her when she gets back," Dana said to her.

"Okay," said Nakili. She turned back to Rockett. "Sorry 'bout that. Now, what were you saying, Rockett?"

Rockett spoke up. "It's about Ruben. I accidentially sent an email to him that was meant for somebody else."

Nakili arched an eyebrow. "_Who_?"

"It's not who you think," Rockett told her before she'd have a chance to say the name. "It was to my friend Meg. Remember I'd told you guys about her a while back?"

"Well, what did the email say, Rockett?" asked Dana.

"Yeah, was it personal or something?" Miko inquired.

Rockett nodded. "Very."

The girls exchanged glances. "Well, we won't ask you want what it was," Nakili decided.

"Yeah," said Dana. "Sorry about that."

Rockett nodded. "It's no problem, Dana. The _real_ problem is, once I'd found out that I'd sent the email, Melody caught me on my pc and took it up. I don't even know when I'll be getting it back."

It was obvious that Rockett was in a real mess. And it was on everyone's faces at the table. Still, knowing how she felt, Jessie stepped in.

"We'll figure something out," she said softly.

"Yeah," Dana added.

"Don't worry," Nakili said.

"Thanks, guys," Rockett said as she stood up. "I'm done with my lunch, so...see you guys back at the cabin?"

"For sure," Nakili said. "We have at least an hour before the next activity."

"Good,' Rockett said as she turned to go. Right now, she just needed time to relax.

Rockett carried her tray over to the trash can and dumped it out. Her next step was to go back to her cabin and try to come up with a new idea.

_'Man, I know camp brings new experiences, but this is ridiculous. It's like, I'm always having to come up with a plan. For the most part, things have been going pretty great. I mean, me and Dana getting along? That's pretty big. More than that, we're finally friends! And then there's the six of us - me, Dana, Arrow, Nakili, Miko and Jessie. We've really been bonding a lot. And I'm so glad that they're all for helping me out with this whole mix up I've got going on. They truly are really great-'_

Rockett bumped into someone on her way out of the mess hall. "Oh! I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

It was Davis! Rockett gulped.

"So where you been?" he asked as he fell into step with her. "I've been looking around for ya."

"You have?"

Davis nodded. "Mm-hm. I still want to see your sketches. Do you have them with you?"

"Oh, uh no. They're still, um, like..er..in my cabin," Rockett stammered.

"You okay?" Davis asked, his eyes searching her.

"Who, me? Yeah, I'm fine."

"Cool. So I was thinking maybe before the next activity, we could work on that art collage. If you're still doing it, I mean. I have some great shots from the mountain."

Rockett hesitated. Of course she'd love to work on her collage alongside another artist. And not just any artist! An artist as cool and cutting-edge as Davis. But, she knew better than that. She knew she couldn't just hang around Davis and forget all about Ruben and the email.

"Gee, that would be great and everything, but I sort of need to take care of something else, first," she said.

"No prob. Afterwards?"

"Um..."

Davis looked at her hopefully.

_'It's times like these when I really, REALLY wish I could just warp Meg over here and get her to give me her latest and greatest advice. Do I go or not? On the one hand, I could just be finishing up my collage...with another artist. So what if he's a guy? On the other, going back to the cabin...well, how is that going to fix my email problem? It's not like I can really do anything from there, anyhow.'_

"I can't," she said finally. "I'm sorry, but I really need to go and sort this other thing out."

"What other thing?"

"It's...complicated."

"I understand. Well, hey, I'm done with my sketches, anyway. I finished them up at lunch. You want to see?"

"Sure."

Davis flipped open his sketch book. There were two images. The first was a boy, but he had no color - Davis had done the sketch in black and white. Next to him, was a bright girl, a red-head, who was holding a paintbrush and palette and painting around him. He had added musical notes and colors around the girl. It was definitely an interesting sketch. Above it was the title 'Color My World.'

But, suddenly, it hit Rockett. It wasn't that hard for her to put two-and-two together to realize that the Davis was the boy in the picture. And she was the girl.

"Um, wow, that's really nice," she offered, trying to pretend she hadn't a clue what the painting was about.

Of course she was flattered, but there was no way she could act on that. It wouldn't be right.

Davis' face fell. "You mean, you don't-"

"Rockett!" a voice called. Rockett whirled around. Saved! By Nakili Abuto! Rockett wanted to hug her right on the spot.

"Nakili, hey!" Rockett said, dodging past Davis and over to Nakili. "What's going on? You remember Davis?"

"I do," Nakili said. "Good to see you again," she said to him. Then, she turned back to Rockett. "Rockett, I need to tell you something," she said. There was no missing the seriousness in her voice.

"Um," Rockett turned to Davis. "Hey, I'll talk to you later," she said.

Davis nodded. "Later, Rockett. Nice to see you again, Nakili." With that, he was gone.

Rockett turned back to face Nakili. "Okay, what's up?"

"Something pretty big, I'm afraid," her friend responded.

"What? What's going on?" Rockett asked, now more nervous than curious.

"It's Ruben."

"What do you mean?"

"He's here."


	16. Surprise, Surprise

Chapter 16: Surprise, Surprise

Rockett stopped in her tracks. "What do you mean, Nakili?"

"Ruben is _here_, girl. He's at this camp right now!"

"Whoa, how do you know?"

"Miko said she saw him get out of some car about a minute ago."

"But, that makes no sense," Rockett said, clearly confused. "Why would Ruben randomly show up? In someone else's car? After his parents told him he couldn't come here? In the middle of camp?"

"To see you," Nakili mused.

Rockett was taken aback by Nakili's words - which also brought back the very familiar butterflies. She blushed. "Gee, you think?"

"Well, why else?"

"I don't know." _'Unless...he really did get that email already and he's here to break up with me!' _Rockett thought, horrified. "I gotta get back to my cabin!" she said. "Fast!"

Before Nakili could say anything else, Rockett dashed out the front door of the mess hall. _'Please, oh, please don't let me run into Davis again!'_ she prayed. _'Anybody else would be fine!'_

"Rockett!" a voice called.

Upon hearing her name, she whirled around, still hoping it wasn't whom she thought.

"Hey," said Max. Rockett heaved a sigh of relief.

"Oh, Max! I'm so glad to see you!" she blurted. "I mean, how'd that thing go with Jessie?" she asked against her better judgement.

Max blushed, but then he broke out into a huge grin. "Totally awesome! I asked her to be my girlfriend. She said 'yes.'"

"Max! That's amazing! I'm so happy for you guys! But, I gotta go now! So sorry," she said before darting off to her cabin.

Luckily, she'd managed to make it. As soon as she arrived at the cabin, she opened the door, and ran in.

"What's up, Movado?" Sharla asked.

"Can't really talk right now, Sharla," Rockett said as she ran from place to place in the cabin. She rushed to the bathroom, ran a brush through her hair, put it down, and ran back to her suitcase for a change of clothes.

"What's with you?" Sharla asked, confused.

"Hang on a sec," Rockett ran into the bathroom, changed, and emerged.

"Sorry about that," she said. "But, listen. I really need you to do me a huge favour."

"What's in it for me?" Sharla inquired.

"Uhmm..." Rockett had absolutely no idea what she had to offer.

Sharla snickered. "I'm kidding. And, hey. What the heck, I'll help ya out."

Rockett was floored. "You will? Oh, thank you Sharla!"

"Don't mention it. By the way, I wanted to tell you that Rosales is here. I thought that you of all people would like to know that."

"So the rumours are true," Rockett replied. "Well, that's what I need from you." Rockett wandered over to her desk, scribbled a note, and handed it to Sharla. "Could you give this to Ruben for me? I really, _really_ need to talk to him, but I can't do it with all these people around."

Sharla gave her a half-smile. "You're really trusting _me_ with a note?"

"Whatever, I don't care if you read it," Rockett said impatiently. "Just make sure you give it to Ruben. Tell him it's from me. I've gotta go now, Sharla," Rockett said as she started to head out. "Thanks again!"

The wind blew, the leaves rustled, the sun set. Everything was serene.

Everything except Rockett.

Now, here she was atop the mountain she and the girls had camped out on, gathering her thoughts, waiting for Ruben. She tried to remain calm, but despite her efforts, it hadn't worked. She was still totally anxious.

A part of her wondered if Ruben really had been at the camp at all. And if he wasn't, then what exactly was she doing up here on this mountain, waiting?

Whatever the reason, she decided, it had all worked out for the best. She definitely didn't want to keep running into Davis - who always seemed to be around. She didn't know how to react to him now, especially after he'd shown her his latest sketch. And especially after she'd oh-so-conveniently forgotten to mention to him that she already had a boyfriend. Again.

_'I can't believe how dumb I've been acting lately. I should have just flat-out told Davis that I have a boyfriend. Now, I've hurt both him and Ruben, I'm sure. I just screwed things up so bad. If only...if only-'_

"Hey."

Before she'd even turned around, she'd recognized the voice. "Ruben!"

She knew he was mad, she could see it on his face. But despite all that, she couldn't resist rushing over to him and giving him a big hug. She hadn't seen him in days!

"I missed you," she said.

"I missed you, too," Ruben replied. "But, look, we really need to talk."

Rockett sighed. "I know."

"Well, first of all, I guess you're probably wondering what the heck I'm doing here."

"You got my note from Sharla?"

"Yeah. And I also got your email."

Rockett's smile faded. She knew what was coming.

"At first I wondered why you wouldn't reply to any of my messages," Ruben said. "But then - it hit me. It's because my name's not 'Meg.'"

"Look, Ruben, I wasn't ignoring you."

"Oh, yeah?" he asked. "Well then how come I didn't get like, a single message from you since camp started?" He paused for a minute. "Oh, right. Except for _that _message."

"I understand you're upset, but it's mainly just a big misunderstanding."

"Care to explain?" he snapped.

Rockett tried not to get defensive. She knew perfectly well what it was like to be jealous. Taking a deep breath, she prepared to tell him everything.

"Okay, well it all started when we first got here," she said. Ruben said nothing, he just continued to listen. "Anyway, when I first got to camp, I was in a totally bad mood. I was really upset that you weren't going to be here, and I just wanted to go home. But, Jessie - it was her first time here. And I didn't want to bum her out. So I ran off to go get my luggage when I met this guy-"

"I know, I know," Ruben grumbled. "Davis or whatever."

"Right," said Rockett. "Anyway, I'd thought it was cool that another artist was at the camp this year. But long story short, the reason I hardly replied to you at all was because I'd lost my pocket computer."

"I know. Dana took it. And you guys are friends, now, I hear?" Ruben cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes! I'll tell you about that later. But in the meantime, just please hear me out. I _so_ wanted to share with you every detail about camp and everything, but it just seemed like every time I was about to reply to you, I got pulled into another activity. And on top of all of that, they made this dumb rule that you can't be on electronics. So, when I_ did _get my pc back, I kinda had to sneak around.

But about that guy, just listen. I don't like him. I thought he was a great artist and stuff, but when Arrow told me that he liked me, I totally freaked out. It was like, all of a sudden it felt super-uncomfortable to be around him, and then I really didn't want people to get the wrong idea, so I started acting well, weird."

"Okay," Ruben said slowly. "So, why didn't you just explain all that to me when you'd gotten your email back?"

"Well, when I got my pc back, it was the day after all this craziness had happened. So, the first thing I did was email my friend, Meg. But then I realized my mistake - how I'd emailed you and not her. Anyway, right when I was about to fix it, I got caught and a counselor snatched it up."

Ruben shook his head. "Maybe I shouldn't have come here."

"Ruben, I'm not lying! I promise!"

Rockett reached into her pocket and pulled out her mini-computer. "Here," she said softly, stepping towards him. "Check my drafts. All those messages were supposed to be sent to you, but I'd never gotten the chance. I promise you I'm telling you the truth."

Ruben silently read through the messages. When he was finally done, he looked up at her.

He sighed. "You didn't have to prove it to me."

"I know, but I wanted to."

"Listen, I already know you're trustworthy. I'm sorry. I should have believed you. Forgive me?" he asked.

"For what?"

"For being a jealous jerk. And for not trusting you."

Rockett smiled. "Yeah. And hey, I'm really sorry, too. The last thing I wanted was for it to look like I was avoiding you."

Ruben smiled back, and his old charm returned. "No _problema chica_," he said as he took her hand.

"So, can I ask you something?" Rockett said.

"Anything," Ruben answered.

Rockett smiled. "How exactly did you get up here?"

"Ooh," Ruben said as he ran a hand through his hair. "Long story."

"Tell me."

"Truthfully? I hitch-hiked."

Rockett's eyes widened in disbelief. "No, you did not."

Ruben laughed. "Well...in a way. You see, my friend Nate, his older brother was heading towards this way to go visit a friend. I sorta had to plead the guy to bring me along. Finally, we settled that if he gave me a ride, Rebel Angels would play at his next major party. For free."

"Ruben! You didn't have to do that!" Rockett told him.

Ruben shrugged. "Hey, it'll be good publicity. But anyway, when he does have that party, you'll be my date, right?" he said with a wink.

Rockett smiled. "Totally."

"Awesome."

Rockett sighed as she looked around the moutain top. She was so glad things had worked out. Camp, although it had brought along some pretty interesting (and at times, harassing) experiences, it had been great. Better than great, actually. She and Dana had finally become friends - which she was totally excited about. Not to mention the fact that she and five other girls had bonded beyond belief. It was pretty incredible. But, best of all, she knew she and Ruben were totally tight. Hard times had proved. They were inseparable.

"So, now what?" she asked.

Ruben stretched out on the grass. "Stargazing with my girl," he answered.

Rockett followed and glanced up. "Now this is amazing," she said as she looked at the sky above her. It looked unreal. Or maybe what she saw every night when she was stargazing was unreal. Maybe this was what it _really_ looked like. The sky was a gorgeous, midnight blue with huge, sparkling stars and constellations, everywhere. She'd never seen so much beauty in one place.

"Totally amazing," she and Ruben said together, before breaking out into fits of laughter.

"So, Ruben," Rockett finally said. "Any idea how you're going to get back tonight? I mean, is your brother's friend still waiting for you?"

"Nope, he's long gone. I guess I'll have to hitch-hike for real all the way back home tonight," he joked. "I'm just kidding. I'll figure something out. Maybe Cleve and Max have an extra spot in their cabin. And hey, if they're full, I don't mind campin' out on this mountain. It's insane up here."

Rockett laughed. She couldn't wait to fill him in on her _own_ experiences camping out on the mountain. But, then she remembered something. "Hey! There's an extra cabin this year, and nobody's staying in it! You could stay there, and no one would even notice."

Ruben nodded. "Whole cabin to myself, no bunkmates to bother me? I'm in!"

"That's great!"

"But that'll just be my hiding place. I'm not sleeping tonight."

Rockett frowned. "Why not?"

"Because tonight," he said. "It is _on, chica_! Full-blown prank wars against every cabin at this camp!"

Rockett arched her eyebrows and smiled. She should have known.


	17. Goodbye For Now

Chapter 17: Goodbye For Now

"Morning, campers!" sang Melody, the camp's ever-peppy counselor. "It's time to leave Camp Luna - the most wonderful place on earth! I hope you all had a wonderful time here! Don't forget to stop by my office to say 'goodbye' before you leave!"

It was the last day of Camp Luna, and Rockett and the others could not believe how quickly it had gone by.

"This has been so awesome!" Jessie exclaimed. "I love camp! I can't wait to come back next year."

"Yeah, it's been pretty cool," agreed Max, who had his arm around Jessie.

"Yo, Diamond, congrats!" Ruben said, nodding towards the latest couple.

Jessie giggled as Max nodded at Ruben. "Congrats to you, too, Rosales. Not getting in trouble this whole time since you've been here. Maybe I'll go with the invisible-man route next time like you did."

Rockett had to laugh. It _was_ pretty cool how the counselors had totally accepted Ruben as if he'd been there all summer. But, how could they not accept? Ruben was a lovable guy.

"Hey, Rockett. Nakili and Miko and I made our CSG friendship bracelets last night," Dana said. "Anyway, we made one for you, too. How's about maybe joining the group this year?"

Rockett smiled. "I'd love to Dana! But, I'm not even one of you guys."

"Who cares?" Dana asked, slipping an arm around her new friend. "You're one of our closest friends. And, you're totally cool."

Rockett smiled even bigger. Becoming friends with Dana was one of camp's greatest highlights, no doubt. She couldn't wait to fill Meg in.

"Hey, Arrow, sit with me on the bus?" she heard Nakili ask.

"You got it!" Arrow said.

Another highlight: Nakili and Arrow bonding. Now, it was like they were unstoppable.

"You almost ready to go, _chica_?" Ruben asked her.

Rockett smiled at him. Yeah, camp had been great. But, she was definitely ready to go home. "I am," she answered.

Just about the only person Rockett felt bad for was Cleve, who was kind of hanging around by himself ever since Max and Jessie had gotten together. But, sure enough, he too made a new friend - Davis, of all people.

Things with Davis had finally been smoothed over - sort of. After she'd told him about her and Ruben, he didn't look so good. But, he hadn't taken it _too_ hard. And today he'd sat with them at breakfast, and everyone seemed to be getting along.

"Hey, Rosales!" she heard Davis call all of a sudden.

"Davis, what's up?" Ruben asked slapping him a high-five. "Dude, totally tight prank you pulled on the she-dragon. That was hysterical."

"It was nothing," Davis replied.

Of course he was lying. Ruben had told Rockett all about the prank even before it'd happened. It was _definitely_ something. Davis had snuck into the cabin in the middle of the night and painted Nicole's face like a chameleon. Although the girl had gone insanely ballistic, it was still pretty funny. Actually, it was one of the best pranks ever pulled at Camp Luna, according to Ruben.

Before the trio could go on about more pranks, the camp bus honked, which meant everyone had approximately ten minutes to finish what they were doing and report to the bus.

"Oh, man!" Ruben said. He grabbed Rockett's hand. "Come here real quick."

Moments later, the two were up on the mountain top again.

"Figured we'd come here at least one more time before we have to go," he said as they took in all the beauty and splendor around them. "You gonna miss it here?" he asked.

Rockett took a deep breath of the fresh mountain air. "Yeah," she answered, as she fiddled with the bracelet Ruben had made for her. "Camp's been totally choice. New friends, new memories, new experiences...I feel like when we leave here, everything's going to change."

Ruben took a step closer to her. He smiled. "Hey, that's summer."

To: Meg Durrand

From: Rockett Movado

Subject: "Best Summer Ever!"

**Dear Meggie Muffin,**

**Everything's cool again! You would not believe all the amazing memories I have with me from camp - must share with you! Me and that girl Dana who didn't get along? I could say that we're something like best friends now - she's even letting me join the CSGs! How cool is that? OH! And do you remember Jessie, the girl I'd met on my first day at WP? (that, was a long time ago!) She - finally! - got together with this popular boy she's been crushing on for forever. Words can't describe how happy I am for her! Now, here's the weirdest part about camp: Ruben arriving in the middle of it! But that of course, was one of the best parts! I just got off the mountain top with him (the view is UNBELIEVABLE!) and now we're on the bus, ready to go home. It's been a totally excellent summer. I hope yours has been amazing as well!  
-Rockett**

To: Rockett Movado

From: Meg Durrand

Subject: "RE: Best Summer Ever!"

**Hey, Rock!  
I'm **_**sooooooo**_** happy for you! You HAVE to send me pictures from camp - it sounded like it was totally awesome! I'm doing great, as well. Of course my summer wasn't as good as yours (who could top that?) but it was still really great! I can't wait to see you! Let me know when you guys are going to come and visit - maybe in the fall?**

**Rock on!**

**-Meg**

~The End~


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